The central and state leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unwilling to share key power positions in Mumbai’s civic body with its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Despite being part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, the BJP wants complete control of the mayor’s post and the powerful standing committee in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), signalling growing unease within the alliance ahead of the civic battle.

On Tuesday, senior BJP leader Ameet Satam and a select group of Sena leaders were in Delhi to resolve seat-sharing differences within the BJP Sena alliance. While the two parties together have the numbers to elect the mayor, negotiations continue over how power will be divided between them.