Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor elected in Parbhani Municipal Corporation, BJP slams Uddhav Thackeray on his candidature

Shiv Sena (UBT) wins Parbhani mayoral election, sparking BJP criticism over Uddhav Thackeray’s candidate choice amid coalition support.

Shiv Sena (UBT) bagged its first mayoral position in Maharashtra on Thursday (February 11, 2026). Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Iqbal Syed was elected as mayor of the Parbhani Municipal Corporation (PMC), defeating BJP by 13 votes. 

Iqbal Syed’s victory was secured after Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) aligned and received the support of independent corporators to achieve the majority mark of 33 in the 65-member house. According to Iqbal Syed, he secured 39 votes, defeating the BJP candidate Tirumala Khilare. “I am honoured that my party has put faith in me and trusted me with the position, and I ensure to make Parbhani a better city, taking it towards the development. I secured 39 votes, while BJP received 26 votes,” said now mayor Iqbal Syed to The Hindu. 

In the PMC elections held on January 15, Shiv Sena (UBT) won 25 seats, Congress 12, BJP 12, Ajit Pawar’s NCP 11, Jansurajya Shakti 3, Yashwant Sena 1, and one other 1. Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress together had 37 seats crossing the halfway mark; it also received support from independents. According to Shiv Sena (UBT), Mr Syed and Mr Khilare had a straight fight after 12 candidates withdrew from the mayoral race.

With Mr. Syed’s appointment as mayor, Parbhani becomes the only municipal corporation in the State to get the mayor from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena. Mr. Syed, being a Muslim face, has also received attention. According to Shiv Sena (UBT), Mr. Syed was nominated due to the “geographic politics”, meaning at least 30 corporator in the house are from the Muslim community. Shiv Sena (UBT) alone has 13 Muslim corporator, while the remaining are from the other communities. 

JP slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) for electing a mayor from the Muslim community, saying they boast about Marathi pride, but as soon as they got the opportunity, they elected a Muslim Candidate. BJP spokesperson and Mumbai corporator Navnath Ban said, “Shiv Sena (UBT) has chosen the mayor from the Aurangzeb’s fan club, pushing Aurangzeb’s agenda.”

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare said, “The mayor is Marathi, Maharashtrian, and elected following all the rules of the Election Commission. BJP wants to hide the Epstein file controversy, so they want to talk about Shiv Sena (UBT). BJP don’t understand the geographic politics of Parbhani. MP Fauzia Khan is from Parbhani. Along with Sambhajinagar, Bhiwandi, and Parbhani have been the Muslim-dominated areas.”