Aaditya Thackeray Opposes Leasing Of Open Plots In Andheri And Bandra
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Worli legislator Aaditya Thackeray slammed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, August 20, 2026, alleging that the state government is leasing valuable open land parcels across Mumbai, including sites in Andheri and Bandra, to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators and associates.
Mr. Thackeray appealed to citizens to join a protest scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Neville Dsouza Football Ground in Bandra. He stated that the protest would remain non-partisan and requested participants not to bring political flags.
According to Mr. Thackeray, the Chief Minister is gifting a field and two additional plots in Mumbai to a BJP MLA. He claimed that an Andheri ground plot valued at ₹550 crore a decade ago is now being allotted to a BJP MLA for ₹21 lakh per year. He further alleged that the Neville Dsouza Football Ground is slated to be renamed after a BJP leader.
The protest call follows a decision by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) general house on August 19, which cleared the conversion of the Neville Dsouza turf's land reservation into a convention centre.
The broader dispute involves the leasing of two MHADA-owned plots in Juhu and D.N. Nagar in Andheri, measuring a total of 4 acres, as well as the BMC-owned 12-acre Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex located in Andheri (West) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Mr. Thackeray also pointed to the leasing of the Mulund Sports Complex to a petrol pump and the BMC house's clearance to redevelop 22 Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus depots into urban hubs using a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) model under PPP.
Criticising the ruling administration, Mr. Thackeray alleged that the BJP sought control of the BMC to privatise civic assets across the city. He invited civil society groups, sports enthusiasts, and other political organisations to participate in Sunday's demonstration.
