Mumbai BEST Election Result: Shashank Rao's Panel Victorious, Major Shock to Thackeray Brothers; Expressed Gratitude for Fadnavis's Support, Said...

In the Mumbai Best Co-operative Bank election, the Shashank Rao panel achieved a resounding victory, delivering a significant blow to the Thackeray brothers. According to the results announced on Tuesday night, the Shashank Rao panel won 14 out of 21 seats, while the Mahayuti-supported Sahakar Samruddhi panel secured 7 seats. However, the Thackeray brothers' Utkarsh panel could not win a single seat. This result has completely collapsed the Thackeray panel, sending a clear message about which leadership holds the workers' trust.

"There are many bands, but only those who work for the workers get public support"

Speaking at a press conference organized after the results were announced, Shashank Rao strongly criticized the Thackeray brothers. He said, "There are many bands. But only those who work for the benefit of workers and the public survive. Even if you are alone, people elect you. The BEST credit society election has proven this once again."

Thanks to Devendra Fadnavis and Ashish Shelar

At this time, Shashank Rao expressed special thanks to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP leader Ashish Shelar. He said, "I am a believer in BJP's ideology. But the purpose of labor unions is singular – to fight for workers' rights. Political support is needed for that. Devendra Fadnavis and Ashish Shelar have always supported the demands of the workers. We have definitely benefited from that."

Criticism of the Thackeray group

Shashank Rao made serious allegations against Suhas Samant, president of the BEST Workers' Union, and the Thackeray group. He said, "Samant talks about the use of money. But he himself was in the BEST credit society for 9 years and in the BEST committee for a total of 25 years. At that time, workers did not receive gratuity for three years after retirement. The money for workers' gratuity was distributed to contractors. Therefore, Samant accusing others is hypocrisy."

Direct Target on Uddhav Thackeray

Shashank Rao also attacked Uddhav Thackeray's leadership. He said, "In 2017, Uddhav Thackeray had promised to merge BEST's budget with the municipality. But after becoming Chief Minister, he did not fulfill it. Despite Shiv Sena being in the municipal corporation and committee, not a single bus was purchased for BEST. We had an MoU in 2019 that BEST needed 3337 self-owned buses. But instead, Thackeray brought BEST down to 250 buses and kept giving contracts."

Defeat of Thackeray Brothers: Discontent Among Workers?

After the complete defeat of the Utkarsh panel, this is considered a major blow for the Thackeray brothers. It is believed that they suffered due to not performing as expected on issues concerning workers' interests. On the contrary, Shashank Rao's panel consistently addressed workers' issues and built organizational strength. Therefore, analysts believe that workers placed their trust in them.