India, Jan. 5 -- As the city heads into the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls after a gap of nine years, political parties across the board are closing in on Marathi identity or the Marathi manoos as the central campaign theme, displacing development and civic governance.

The first signs of this shift surfaced last month, soon after the State Election Commission (SEC) announced the long-pending polls. Anonymous posters appeared in traditional Marathi neighbourhoods such as Girgaon and Dadar, bearing slogans like "Marathi people, wake up, the night is stormy. This is a fight for your very existence," and, "Wake up Marathi people, save Mumbai".

The posters urged consolidation of Marathi-speakers without naming any party, posi...