ThePrint ThePrintPod: ‘Unreachable’ corporators, unusual alliances—how parties are scrambling to control urban Maharashtra
Jan 23, 2026
A fast-paced look at post-election scramble for control of urban local bodies in Maharashtra. Parties are chasing unreachable corporators and forming unusual alliances to build majorities. Strategic moves include moving supporters together, issuing notices and striking bargain deals across cities like Mumbai, Kalyan Dombivli and Chandrapur.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Fractured Mandates Spark Unusual Alliances
- Multiple municipal corporations returned fractured mandates, triggering intense post-election horse-trading between parties.
- Parties are actively exploring unusual alliances and holding corporators to control urban local bodies.
Temples, Phones Off, And Political Safety
- Sarita Maske, a Shiv Sena corporator, went unreachable while the party registered its group with the divisional commissioner.
- She later said she was visiting temples and had kept her phone off on party instruction for safety.
Bargaining With Corporators And Hotel Strategy
- The Shinde-led Shiv Sena pressed for power-sharing including mayoral terms in Mumbai after emerging as a smaller but significant bloc.
- Parties moved corporators to hotels and prepared paperwork to strengthen bargaining positions with the BJP.