Why BJP, Shiv Sena Are Celebrating and Congress, MNS Bit the Dust

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election has thrown up a result on Thursday few could have predicted.

As per the latest information, the Shiv Sena is on course to emerge as the largest party in the richest municipal corporation with 84 seats, but only just. The BJP scripted a stunning show by winning 81 seats, the party's best showing ever.

The Congress was relegated to third place with a poor return of 31 seats, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which had projected itself as the true bearers of Bal Thackeray's legacy, was reduced to seven seats.

Here are reasons why Mumbai voted the way it did:

1. What worked for the BJP:

- CM Devendra Fadnavis clean image and his relentless campaign.

- Decision to go solo helped party expand its base.

- Increased turnout of non-Marathi voters.

- Raising the issue of opaqueness in the functioning of the civic body.

- Wooing Marathi voters by using the RS 3,600 crore Shivaji Memorial for identity politics.

- Developmental work done by the Fadnavis government for the city including the mass transport projects and increased capacity of suburban train network.

- Questioning Sena for lack of developmental activities, transparency and increased corruption in the BMC.

2. What worked for the Shiv Sena:

- The city has always been a sena bastion.

- Uddhav Thackeray’s booth-level micro-planning.

- Unusual ferocity sown by a mild-mannered Uddhav during campaigning.

- Uddhav’s constant criticism of PM Modi over demonetisation and CM Fadnavis for mismanagement of the state.

- Invoking Sena’s Marathi credo to go up against the BJP.

- The split in Gujarati votes due to Patidar agitation in Gujarat may have helped the party.

3. Possible reasons behind Congress’s rout

- Infighting between senior party leaders including one between Sanjay Nirupam and Gurdas Kamat.

- Constant defection by party leaders to other parties.

- Senior city leaders withdrawing from from the party’s election process, blaming Nirupam’s “negative attitude”.

- Presence of AIMIM, took away majority of minority votes away from the party.

- North Indians choosing the BJP over the Congress.

4. No takers for MNS's brand of politics

- Raj Thackeray’s aggression his brand of disruptive and divisive politics.

- Defection by many senior leaders to Shiv Sena and BJP.

- Marathi Manoos, the party's main votary, deserting the outfit for more dynamic Sena and the BJP.

- Raj entered the race quite late in the day.