India, Dec. 24 -- As cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray prepare to announce the details of their first ever poll alliance for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections today, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started fine-tuning its own poll strategy. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this recalibration is Eknath Shinde.

Multiple conversations with BJP leaders suggest that for some time there was reluctance to formally ally with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai. The BJP has been resurgent across Maharashtra and this was its best chance so far to win the BMC on its own strength, they feel. But with the two Thackerays joining hands, the party will not run the risk of losing the 'Marathi manoos' vote. "More than 50 corporators who wo...