20 August 2025: In a high-stakes election that had drawn wide attention, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray’s joint panel suffered a resounding defeat in the BEST Employees’ Co-operative Credit Society polls. The results, declared late Tuesday night after a rain-induced delay, marked a major setback for the Thackeray brothers ahead of the Mumbai municipal elections.
The BEST credit society elections, held on August 18, were expected to be a show of strength for the reunited Thackeray camp. However, despite much anticipation surrounding their alliance after 18 years, the panel failed to win even a single seat out of the 21 contested. This defeat also ended the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s nine-year hold over the society.
The results placed the Shashank Rao Panel at the top with 12 seats, followed closely by the Sahakar Samruddhi Panel, backed by BJP leaders Prasad Lad, Nitesh Rane, and Kiran Pawaskar, which won 9 seats.
For Raj and Uddhav, who are considering contesting the upcoming Mumbai civic elections together, the outcome is seen as a warning sign. While Pune remains the political battleground for expansion, the setback in Mumbai underscores the challenges they face in reclaiming lost ground.