Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the next Mumbai mayor will be Hindu-Marathi, emphasizing a focus on development without appeasement politics. He criticized the previous government for neglecting Marathi and Hindu interests. Opposition leaders from Congress, NCP-SP, and Shiv Sena (UBT) condemned the statement as divisive and accused the BJP of playing the religion card to polarize voters ahead of civic polls. They argued that civic governance should not be linked to religious or linguistic identity.