Mumbai's Alliance Imperative: The 30% Vote Math Driving Political Unity

• Mumbai's political landscape necessitates alliances, with major parties like BJP, Shiv Sena factions, Congress, and VBA forming fronts despite past rivalries.
• For the past 20 years, Mumbai voters have delivered a 'divided mandate', preventing any single party from securing a direct majority in municipal elections.
• Historical data shows no party has crossed 30% of the vote share in the last four Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, leading to fierce, close contests.
• Factors like language, income, religion, and local issues significantly influence voting patterns, contributing to fragmented vote distribution across the city.
• Shiv Sena's vote share remained stagnant despite long power, MNS saw a rise and fall, while BJP grew by consolidating North Indian votes and benefiting from rivals' decline.

Why It Matters: Mumbai's electoral history proves alliances are essential due to a consistently divided mandate and no party crossing 30% votes.