Maharashtra’s civic elections delivered yet another political surprise as the Mhatre family achieved a rare feat in the Thane municipal corporation polls, winning three wards while contesting on tickets from three rival parties, highlighting the deep roots of dynastic politics in the state. Prahlad Mhatre secured a seat for the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Rekha Mhatre won on a Shiv Sena ticket, and Raveen Mhatre claimed a ward for the BJP, even as the BJP-Shinde Sena combine dominated the overall Thane results.

The elections also saw another family, the Kolhes in Jalgaon, achieve a clean sweep, with Lalit, Sindhutai, and Piyush Lalit Kolhe all winning on Shiv Sena tickets. Notably, Lalit won while in jail, and the family had pledged not to wear slippers until his release, a vow they maintained until the results.

Thane remained a key battleground, historically a Shiv Sena stronghold and the home turf of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. This year, the BJP and Shinde Sena joined forces, contesting 131 seats—Shinde Sena on 87 and BJP on 40—while the Thackeray cousins reunited after two decades to contest alongside Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Despite their alliance, the Thackeray faction and Congress, contesting alone on 96 seats, were decisively defeated by the BJP-Shinde Sena wave.

The results reflect the enduring influence of dynastic politics in Maharashtra, even as strategic alliances and political consolidation continue to shape the urban political landscape. Thane, with its long-standing loyalty to the Shiv Sena legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray and Anand Dighe, again demonstrated the complex interplay of family, faction, and party in the state’s civic politics.