Mumbai Mayor Race: Uddhav Thackeray's Path to Power Despite Numbers Gap

• Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) aims for Mumbai Mayor despite winning only 65 seats, far from the 114-seat majority in the 227-member BMC.
• Scenario 1: If the Mayor's post is reserved for the ST category, Sena (UBT) has two ST corporators (Jitendra Walvi, Priyadarshani Thakare), while BJP and Shinde Sena have none, potentially allowing Sena (UBT) to claim the post.
• The reservation lottery for mayoral posts in 29 Maharashtra municipalities will be held on January 22 at 11 am at Mantralaya.
• Scenario 2: Tacit support from Sena (UBT) to BJP could involve Sena (UBT) corporators abstaining from the mayoral vote, lowering the majority mark and allowing BJP (89 seats) to win independently.
• Speculation suggests an old Shiv Sainik could be a consensus candidate if Sena (UBT) supports BJP, despite Eknath Shinde's demand for the mayor's post for his faction.

Why It Matters: Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) eyes Mumbai Mayor through ST reservation or tacit BJP support.