Thackeray Brothers Face Crushing Defeat in BMC Exit Polls; Anti-North Indian Stance Backfires

• BMC exit polls predict a massive victory for the BJP-Shinde faction alliance, signaling a major defeat for the Thackeray brothers.
• Anti-North Indian politics by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray backfired, with 68% of North Indians voting for the Mahayuti alliance.
• The 'Marathi Manoos' stronghold of Shiv Sena was breached, with only 49% of Marathis voting for Uddhav Thackeray's faction, while BJP secured 30%.
• South Indian voters (61%) and a significant portion of Muslim voters (28% for Uddhav faction, 41% for Congress alliance) also favored BJP or Congress.
• The results indicate a shift in Mumbai's political landscape, moving beyond emotional and regional identity politics towards development and national parties.

Why It Matters: Thackeray brothers' anti-migrant politics and weakening Marathi support led to a significant defeat in BMC exit polls.