After the Mandate, the Test of Governance

With a sweeping municipal mandate in hand, Maharashtra’s ruling alliance must prove that concrete victories can translate into everyday competence.

Nearly a month after the January 15 civic polls, the BJP-led Mahayuti is consolidating its clear majority in most of the 29 municipal corporations. While the election of mayors and deputy mayors nears completion, the formation of key standing committees remains stalled. For city administrations emerging from years of bureaucratic oversight under administrators, these delays are bottlenecks that undermine the very capacity of local bodies.

The unexpected political developments following Ajit Pawar’s exit from public life introduced a moment of uncertainty within the alliance, and a brief period of recalibration was perhaps inevitable. But such contingencies cannot become a justification for prolonged indecision. The message from urban voters was clear: after they had delivered an overwhelming mandate, they expect administrative momentum, and not the games of political manoeuvring or brinkmanship.

Lived Realities

The mandate comes at a time when claims of urban transformation through big-ticket infrastructure projects are increasingly being tested against lived realities. The recent incident on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, which caused an unprecedented traffic snarl of more than 24 hours after a gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi tunnel on the Pune–Mumbai Expressway, exposed serious gaps in the administration’s preparedness. Social media was rife with harrowing stories of the sufferings of stranded commuters, especially the elderly and the children. The grossly inadequate emergency response and utter lack of coordination between government agencies underscored an uncomfortable truth that wide roads and flyovers alone do not constitute development.

Over the last decade, infrastructure has dominated political discourse in Maharashtra’s cities. Expressways, metros, monorails, flyovers and coastal roads have been projected as markers of progress. While these projects are undoubtedly important and often necessary, they operate on long timelines and deliver benefits unevenly. What citizens experience daily are broken roads, erratic water supply, polluted air, unreliable public transport, unchecked construction and visual chaos. And these are the parameters that determine whether or not a city is liveable.

No Excuses

The BJP and its allies have made expansive promises in their municipal election manifestos. Improved civic amenities, cleaner air and water, efficient public transport, better road safety and responsive local governance featured prominently. With control over most corporations and without dependence on non-NDA parties, the Mahayuti can no longer fall back on political constraints as an explanation for inaction.

For the last three to four years, municipal corporations were run by administrators. Political parties routinely argued that the absence of elected representatives was the reason citizens’ grievances went unaddressed. That argument has now run its course. Elections have restored democratic accountability at the local level. If basic services continue to falter, responsibility will lie squarely with the elected leadership.

The warning signs are already visible. In a clear indicator of declining air quality, doctors across urban centres have flagged a rise in respiratory ailments. Traffic congestion, poor road design, and indiscipline continue to contribute to a steady number of accidents. Unauthorized banners and hoardings disfigure city skylines, while incessant and poorly coordinated road digging disrupts daily life. These are not abstract policy challenges but immediate, everyday failures of municipal governance.

Urban administration is often dismissed as unglamorous, but it is precisely here that governments earn or lose public trust. The management of waste, enforcement of traffic rules, regulation of construction, maintenance of roads, and protection of open spaces require sustained attention, not headline-grabbing announcements. They demand coordination between departments, empowered committees, and a willingness to prioritise citizens over contractors, optics, or unwarranted political interference.

Moment of Accountability

During the election campaign, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was asked in an interview whether cities should be “liveable” or “loveable.” His response was characteristically crisp: once cities become liveable, they will automatically become loveable. The remark resonated because it captured an essential truth. Emotional attachment to a city grows from functional competence — from clean streets, breathable air, safe roads, and predictable public services.

That statement now returns as a benchmark against which the Mahayuti’s urban governance will be judged. The alliance has the numbers, the political stability, and the administrative experience. What it needs to demonstrate now is urgency. The delayed formation of key municipal committees sends the opposite signal.

It must also be remembered that civic issues transcend any political ‘ism.’ Roads, water, air quality, waste management, and public transport affect every resident, irrespective of party allegiance. The responsibility of governance is not to serve ideology but to deliver tangible improvements in the daily lives of citizens.

Rhetoric may help win elections, but it does not build confidence. Nor does it make cities liveable, let alone loveable. The electorate has done its part. It is now for the ruling dispensation to show that its emphasis on infrastructure is matched by an equally strong commitment to everyday governance. The real test of the mandate will not be measured in kilometres of concrete laid, but in whether citizens feel a tangible difference in their daily lives.

(The writer is a political commentator. Views personal.)