Mysterious 'Marathi Manoos' Posters Emerge Across Mumbai as Crucial Civic Elections Approach

"Marathi people, wake up, the night is stormy. This is a fight for your very existence," reads one of the provocative posters that have appeared across Mumbai.

Mumbai:

Coinciding with the state election commission's announcement of long-delayed municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, mysterious posters have emerged throughout Mumbai with emotionally charged messages targeting the city's Marathi-speaking residents.

These striking posters, observed in neighborhoods like Girgaon and Dadar, contain powerful slogans focusing on Marathi identity and encouraging political action.

One poster displayed in Girgaon declared, "Marathi people, wake up, the night is stormy. This is a fight for your very existence," while another in Dadar proclaimed, "Wake up Marathi people, Save Mumbai."

Though lacking official party symbols or names, sources suggest these messaging campaigns originated from workers associated with the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction of Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), highlighting their traditional 'Marathi-first' platform before the upcoming elections.

The civic polls are scheduled for January 15, with results expected the following day. These elections will finally provide Mumbai with an elected mayor after more than three years of administrative governance.

MNS leader Yashwant Killedar defended the poster campaign, stating, "Voters elect their representatives through democracy. If the same voter unites before the election and sends this message, what's wrong with that?"

While formal announcements regarding a Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS alliance remain pending, political observers anticipate the two parties will collaborate throughout the Mumbai Metropolitan Region for these elections.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed confidence in the ruling coalition's electoral prospects, noting, "The BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) will have an alliance in most places. The BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) alliance will also happen in some places. Even though we have pointed out discrepancies in the voter list, it will be resolved once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is carried out in Maharashtra. That, however, cannot be a reason to delay the elections."

Fadnavis dismissed concerns about opposition alignments, adding, "Even if the Congress goes with them (Shiv Sena-MNS), Mumbaikars will make us win because of development and the focus on Marathi welfare that we have prioritised for a long time."

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal indicated that local leadership would determine their electoral approach, stating, "The decision on whether to fight together as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi or as an independent force will be taken by local Congress leaders."

The Mumbai Congress has already begun its separate campaign for the Mumbai elections, criticizing both the Shiv Sena-MNS and the BJP-led coalitions for their identity-focused narratives.