Both abandoned their ideological viewpoint: Fadnavis slams Thackeray brothers ahead of upcoming BMC polls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 24 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday launched a scathing attack against the Thackeray brothers, saying that both have abandoned their ideological viewpoint and were indulging in the politics of opportunism.
"Nothing will happen with their coming together. Nobody will join hands with them in Mumbai. Their track record is one of corruption and self-interest. Uddhav and Raj have no ideological positioning. They indulge in the politics of opportunism," Fadnavis told reporters here.
Fadnavis said that the statements given by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray shouldn't be paid any heed. He was reacting to Thackeray's remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in which they were labelled by him as someone who "break parties".
"Uddhav Thackeray is a disappointed and frustrated person. I feel that his statements shouldn't be given any attention," he said.
Fadnavis further took a dig at the Thackeray brothers over their coming together ahead of the 2026 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, saying their alliance was being portrayed as if Russia and Ukraine had joined hands.
"They are trying to create hype as if something as historic as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are taking place, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Vladimir Putin finally sitting across the table," he said.
Fadnavis argued that both parties - Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) had weakened themselves due to "appeasement politics", leading to a steady erosion of their vote base.
"These are parties that have lost relevance due to their inclination towards appeasement politics and have lost their support base. Their coming together offers no benefit to the people," he added.
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray has called for Marathi unity after his party forged an alliance with Raj Thackeray-led MNS for the upcoming BMC polls, scheduled to be held in January.
While addressing a presser along with Raj Thackeray, Uddhav said, "During the assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party engaged in negative campaigning. With the slogan 'If we divide, we will be cut,' an attempt was made to sow discord among the Marathi people. Now, if a mistake has been made, its consequences will be serious. If division happens again, we will be finished. Therefore, the Marathi people should not break, should not divide."
Moreover, the MNS chief assured that the "mayor of Mumbai will be a Marathi and will be ours".
The State Election Commission in Maharashtra has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. (ANI)