In a significant political development, the Uddhav faction of Shiv Sena (UBT) announced that it would contest the municipal corporation elections in Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur, and other key regions independently, without the support of the INDIA bloc. This marks a major setback for the INDIA alliance in Maharashtra, which includes the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and other regional parties like Trinamool Congress and DMK, united for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha MP of Shiv Sena (UBT), explained that the decision to fight alone stemmed from concerns that alliances often limit the growth of individual party workers. He stated, "In an alliance, workers of individual parties don't get opportunities, and it hampers organisational growth. We will contest on our strength." Raut also expressed dissatisfaction over the inability to appoint a convener for the INDIA bloc in Maharashtra, calling it a failure of the Congress, the largest party in the alliance.

Raut's comments highlight the growing discontent within the alliance, with him blaming Congress for not convening meetings to address issues. Further criticism was aimed at senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, who had blamed MVA's allies for the party's loss in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Raut stressed that there had been no meetings of the INDIA bloc after the Lok Sabha elections last year.

Amid this, Prakash Ambedkar of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) suggested that Uddhav Thackeray's decision to break away was driven by the interests of his son, Aaditya Thackeray. The move follows praise from Sharad Pawar of the NCP for the RSS’s organizational strength in the state assembly elections.