Mumbai: A post-poll victory speech by 29-year-old AIMIM leader Sahar Shaikh, the party’s youngest corporator in Maharashtra, has triggered a political storm after she said Mumbra must be “painted green” — a remark that quickly went viral and drew sharp reactions across party lines.
Shaikh, who won from Mumbra in the recently concluded civic elections, made the statement while addressing party workers and urging them to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of future polls.
“We must perform even better in the next elections. The whole Mumbra must be painted green and we have to drive out our opponents,” she said in Hindi.
The comment was seized upon by rival parties and social media users, with critics accusing her of using a phrase that could be read as communal. The controversy escalated within hours, forcing the first-time corporator to issue a clarification.
AIMIM’s youngest councillor; all of 22, one of 5 who won from Mumbra says: 5 years from now, paint the entire area green in elections pic.twitter.com/oAy4rK8N7R
— Padmaja Joshi (@PadmajaJoshi) January 20, 2026
‘It’s About My Party Flag, Not Religion’
Shaikh said the remark was purely symbolic, referring to the green colour of AIMIM’s party flag, and not to any religious identity.
“We won five seats in Mumbra and we want to grow further. Green is the colour of my party. If it were orange, I would have said paint Mumbra orange. It was about political expansion, nothing else,” she told reporters.
She also questioned the selective outrage.
“Several parties with green flags use similar language. Why does no one object when they say the same?” she asked, referring to parties like JD(U), RJD and JJP.
#WATCH | Thane, Maharashtra | On her statement ‘We will turn Mumbra Green’, AIMIM Corporator Sahar Shaikh says, “We are promoting green colour, because the colour of my flag is green. Had the colour of my flag been orange or saffron, I would have promoted it… This was… pic.twitter.com/gbpL3JYHaA
— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2026
AIMIM’s Growing Footprint in Maharashtra
Led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has been steadily expanding in Maharashtra’s municipal politics over the last decade.
The party now has a visible presence in Mumbra, Malegaon, Nanded, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and parts of Mumbai’s suburban belt. In the latest civic polls, AIMIM improved its tally in multiple towns, positioning itself as a serious urban challenger to the Shiv Sena (both factions), BJP, Congress and NCP.
Political analysts say the party’s strategy is built around local governance issues, youth mobilisation and minority representation, with candidates like Sahar Shaikh symbolising its next-generation leadership push.
Political Optics and the Language Trap
While AIMIM insists the remark was misinterpreted, observers note that political messaging in a polarised climate is increasingly scrutinised.
“Symbolic language is no longer neutral in today’s politics. Even metaphors are judged through a communal lens,” said a senior political analyst in Mumbai.
For Sahar Shaikh, the controversy may have overshadowed her electoral milestone — but it has also placed her firmly on Maharashtra’s political map.
About Mumbra
Mumbra is a densely populated township in Thane district, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), known for its large migrant working-class population and significant Muslim demographic. Once a peripheral suburb, it has emerged as a politically sensitive urban pocket due to rapid urbanisation, infrastructure stress, housing density and recurring civic issues such as water supply, sanitation and transport. Its electoral outcomes are often seen as a barometer of minority politics and grassroots mobilisation in the Mumbai–Thane belt. There are 131 total seats — elected from 47 wards under a multi-member system that allocates three or four corporators per ward. According to the sources AIMIM won 6 seats in Mumbra in the recent civic polls.
