BMC Elections: A High-Stakes Battle for Power, Prestige, and Mumbai's Rs 50,000 Cr Budget

• The BMC election is crucial due to its massive annual budget of Rs 50,000-60,000 crore, making it Asia's richest civic body.
• For Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, controlling the BMC is vital for survival and proving its legitimacy after the split with Eknath Shinde.
• Political analysts view the BMC election as a 'semifinal' for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, setting the mood for the state.
• Winning the BMC provides a significant advantage in the 36 Assembly and 6 Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai and its suburbs.
• The BJP aims to win the BMC for the first time, seeing it as an opportunity to dismantle the Thackeray family's long-standing stronghold.

Why It Matters: The BMC election is a critical battle for financial control, political dominance, and the future of key leaders in Maharashtra.