BEST Credit Society Election Deals Major Blow to Thackeray Brothers. Utkarsh Panel Supported by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray Fails to Win a Single Seat. Shashank Rao Panel Secures 14 Seats, While Mahayuti Panel Wins Seven.
Maharashtra: The results of the BEST Credit Society Election 2025 have brought a major turning point in Maharashtra politics. In this election, the 'Utkarsh Panel,' an alliance of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), failed to win a single seat. This ended Shiv Sena's nine-year hold on the cooperative society. Shashank Rao's panel won 14 out of 21 seats, while the Mahayuti panel succeeded in securing seven seats.
Historic Collaboration of Thackeray Brothers Also Fails
The Thackeray brothers came together after nearly 20 years. This move by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray was being considered a major "game-changer" in political circles. However, their collaboration did not work in the BEST Society election. The 'Utkarsh Panel' supported by Uddhav and Raj could not even open its account. This defeat has raised questions about their strategy.
Impressive Performance by Shashank Rao Panel
The Shashank Rao panel achieved the greatest success in this election. They secured a b hold on the society by winning 14 seats. Shashank Rao is a well-known trade union leader and has been associated with the BEST employees' union for a long time. His father, Sharad Rao, was also a prominent union leader. Because of this, Shashank Rao's influence is quite b among the labor and employee class. This strength helped him win this election.
Respectable Victory for Mahayuti Panel
The Mahayuti panel, consisting of BJP and its allies, also secured seven seats in this election. Although this number is less than the Shashank Rao panel, their contribution is considered significant in defeating the Thackeray brothers. This result has further strengthened the Mahayuti alliance.
Uddhav-Raj Alliance's First Test Fails
Raj Thackeray formed the MNS in 2006 after separating from Shiv Sena. Since then, both parties had been staunch opponents. However, recent political circumstances brought them closer. This was the first time before the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections that the Thackeray brothers contested an election together. The BEST Society election was considered a "litmus test" of their unity. But the defeat made it clear that simply coming together is not enough. A lot of hard work needs to be done at the grassroots level to attract voters.
Questions on BMC Elections
The defeat in the BEST election has shaken the strategy of the Thackeray brothers. Now the question is being raised that if they could not open an account in a small society election, how will they succeed in a big election like the BMC. The Mahayuti alliance is already in a b position in Mumbai, and now this result is a wake-up call for the Thackeray faction.
Challenge of Marathi Vote Bank
Uddhav and Raj were both trying to bring the Marathi-speaking communities together with them. Their hopes were pinned on BEST employees and the local vote bank. But the election results showed that their base vote bank is still scattered. Leaders like Shashank Rao have maintained their hold on the labor and local voters.
Appeal for Unity Did Not Work
The Thackeray brothers had appealed to BEST employees and Marathi voters to show "unity" and vote for their panel. But this appeal did not prove effective. The result clearly shows that votes are not obtained by political alliances alone. The public makes its decision only after seeing the work and grassroots connection of the candidates.
