Fadnavis's 'Marathi Hindu Mayor' Gambit Shakes Mumbai Politics Ahead of BMC Polls

• Devendra Fadnavis declared Mumbai's next Mayor will be Marathi and Hindu, challenging the Thackeray brothers' traditional Marathi identity politics for the 2026 BMC elections.
• This move aims to combine 'Marathi' with 'Hindu' to counter Uddhav Thackeray's alliance with Congress/Sharad Pawar's party and reclaim the Hindutva narrative.
• Fadnavis dismissed the reunion of Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray as "too little, too late," asserting it won't threaten the BJP-Eknath Shinde alliance.
• The 2026 BMC elections feature a complex multi-party contest, including Mahayuti, Thackeray Alliance, Ajit Pawar's NCP, and Congress-Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.
• Fadnavis seeks to appeal to both Marathi and non-Marathi voters, assuring Mumbai's 'Marathi character' while blunting opposition's fears about BJP's intentions.

Why It Matters: Fadnavis's 'Marathi Hindu Mayor' strategy aims to redefine Mumbai's political narrative and challenge the Thackeray legacy.