Maharashtra's top bureaucracy is quietly abuzz after the BJP's emergence as the undisputed number one party in the BMC polls, where Shiv Sena factions—UBT, Shinde, and even Raj Thackeray's MNS—faltered badly against the saffron surge. Officers who long cultivated ties with Mumbai's original Shiv Sena heavyweights, leveraging their local heft for postings and influence, now face a stark recalibration. Speculatively, many are rethinking allegiances, eyeing closer alignment with Fadnavis's administration to safeguard careers amid BJP's consolidating dominance across state civic bodies. Whispers in Mantralaya hint at discreet outreach to BJP channels, signaling a pragmatic pivot in this power realignment.