Sule targets Mahayuti over Thane civic woes, pitches MVA as alternative ahead of polls

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, alleging that Thane continues to suffer from basic civic problems despite being projected as a “civilised” city and claims of large development funds.

Addressing a campaign rally for candidates of the NCP (SP)–Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) alliance ahead of the upcoming municipal elections , Sule said issues such as water shortage, garbage dumping grounds, and shortcomings in education and healthcare remain unresolved.

Questioning the Mahayuti government’s development claims, the NCP (SP) MP asked where the funds sanctioned for Thane’s growth had gone. “If so much money has been released, why are citizens still struggling for basic facilities even after so many years?” she said, alleging that while those in power have prospered, the problems faced by ordinary people have remained unchanged.

Sule said Thane had once attracted people from across Maharashtra and the country with the promise of a better quality of life, but that hope has now turned into frustration due to poor civic governance.

She asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and the Congress would resolve Thane’s water crisis and make the city tanker-free if voted to power in the municipal corporation. The alliance, she added, would also focus on quality education, free tablets for students, and improved healthcare services .

Clarifying her political stand amid the Shiv Sena split, Sule said, “For me, there is only one Shiv Sena, and that is the one led by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray,” noting that party founder Balasaheb Thackeray had entrusted the organisation’s leadership to his son during his lifetime.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance , led by the BJP along with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP , is seeking to retain control over key civic bodies, projecting stability and development as its core plank. In contrast, the opposition MVA has made alleged civic mismanagement, corruption, and governance failures central to its campaign.

With civic polls seen as a crucial test of public sentiment following major political realignments in Maharashtra, leaders from both sides have intensified campaigning in urban centres such as Thane and Mumbai, where control of municipal corporations carries significant political and financial weight.

NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad , party Thane city unit president Manoj Pradhan , senior office-bearers, and a large number of party workers were present at the rally.