With civic polls just around the corner in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Tuesday expressed their anguish at Congress. Shiv Sena (UBT) said the Congress party’s announcement of going solo in the ensuing elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be 'suicidal', and the opposition unity is essential to checkmate the BJP. 

As reported by news agency IANS, the Thackeray camp, in its mouthpiece, 'Saamana', said that "unity was needed to stop the BJP plan to 'hijack the election system through hooliganism, mob rule, excessive use of money and police force to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra.'" It claimed that Maharashtra will not forgive those who go against the Marathi public sentiment.”