Mumbai Mayor Race Heats Up: Shinde Camps Councillors Amid Coalition Tussle

• Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction moved 29 newly elected corporators to a luxury hotel in Bandra after BMC election results.
• The move is seen as a pressure tactic to strengthen Shinde's bargaining position for the Mumbai mayor's post within the Mahayuti alliance.
• BJP is the single largest party with 89 seats, but needs Shinde's 29 seats to reach the 114-seat majority in the 227-member BMC.
• Shinde's party is reportedly pushing for a "two-and-a-half-year formula" for the mayor's term, similar to past power-sharing arrangements.
• Uddhav Thackeray criticized the "hotel politics," while Devendra Fadnavis downplayed disputes, stating discussions are ongoing.

Why It Matters: Eknath Shinde's faction is leveraging its BMC seats to secure a strong position in Mumbai's mayoral race.