Mumbai Civic Polls: Shinde-Thackeray Clash, BJP Targets 25-Year Thackeray Rule

• Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, for Asia's richest civic body, are set for January 15.
• BJP aims to unseat Uddhav Thackeray's 25-year control; Eknath Shinde seeks to assert power in Mumbai.
• BJP will face Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena on 97 seats; Shinde Sena vs. Uddhav Sena on 69 seats.
• Congress and Vanchit Aghadi contesting separately could potentially impact Thackeray brothers' vote bank.
• Over 1700 candidates are in the fray in Mumbai, with 15,931 candidates statewide.

Why It Matters: Mumbai's high-stakes civic polls feature intense multi-party clashes, especially between Shiv Sena factions and BJP.