117. Election Time is freebie time 

Maharashtra local body elections are coming up soon, and, as usual, many loyalties will shift in the days ahead.

To start with, Mumbai's iconic dabbawalas have delivered a blow to Shiv Sena (UBT), accusing the party of breaking promises made in 2017.

And to make the announcement, they chose an important day for the party. It was the day of the death anniversary of the founder, Bal Thackeray.

Now, the dabbawala community has pledged support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giving credit to Fadnavis for resolving the housing issue for dabbawalas.

Mumbai’s dabbawalas have traditionally supported the Shiv Sena’s core belief in the ‘sons of the soil” and the rights of the “Marathi manoos” (Marathi people).

Subhash Talekar, president of the 135-year-old Mumbai Dabbawala Association, issued a statement saying the switch to the BJP was due to the Shiv Sena (UBT) failing to keep its promises and meet demands.

Mumbai Dabbawala Association had supported Shiv Sena (UBT) in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Elections and the Maharashtra Assembly Elections.

During the 2017 Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the Shiv Sena manifesto, led by Uddhav Thackeray, stated that it would help establish an independent company to organize the dabbawalas of Mumbai and provide Rs 5 crore in financial support to the company.

Although the number is not in favor, as Mumbai currently has only around 2,500 dabbawalas providing delivery services in the city. 

Coming to the actual reason of this shifting of the loyalties – 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has decided to allot 500 sq ft land worth Rs 25 lakh in Thane’s Dive Anjur to each dabbawala family, along with Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) schemes. 

On 15 August 2025, Fadnavis inaugurated the Mumbai Dabbawala International Experience Centre, a museum in Mumbai’s Bandra West dedicated to the city’s iconic lunch delivery service, offering visitors an immersive experience into the history and precision of the dabbawala system, which has been running since 1890.

In fact, politics has its own language.