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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

All Eyes on Uddhav’s Show

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Uddhav

After an almost lost legal battle to regain control over party and with allies who are reluctant to project him as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the alliance, Uddhav Thackeray is all set to fight the do-or-die battle of his political career in this assembly election. The question remains whether he will be able to shed the image of an incompetent CM and repeat the charisma he shown in 2014.


After BJP under Narendra Modi swept the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the results of Maharashtra assembly had become clear and Uddhav Thackeray had sensed that his party stands a good chance to get a bigger share in power. The state BJP was trying to shed its ‘younger brother’ image within the alliance, which didn’t go well with Shiv Sena and both the parties contested assembly polls independently. That was the first assembly election when Bal Thackeray was not there to guide the party. Uddhav’s strategy to severe ties with the BJP won 63 MLA to his party and his leadership was established in the state politics in real sense. If he is able to repeat a similar performance this time, his chances of ruling the Maharashtra once again would be very high. But, if he couldn’t do it that might mark an end to his political career.


In 2014 Uddhav reluctantly allowed his party to join the BJP government under Devendra Fadnavis, but kept criticizing the government over an array of issues including the Metro 3 car shed at Aarey. Ultimately in 2019 he walked out of the alliance over the issue of rotational chief ministership. The Congress and NCP, for whom chances to get back to power were meek, sensed a chance and made Uddhav head the coalition government. Though much of next two and half years of his tenure as chief minister were wasted due to COVID-related restrictions, his government came under heavy fire for corruption from the outside, by opposition BJP, and for not following Hindutva agenda, from within, by likes of Eknath Shinde and others.


Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to resign without going in for floor test came under heavy criticism from all sides. However, he was undeterred. “In a democracy, heads are counted to show numbers. I am not interested in that. I don’t want to play these games,” he said tendering his resignation to the governor in June 2022. While many interpret this as his unwillingness to accept challenges and fight fiercely, others feel that this shows his different style, where he would think over the situation and meticulously plan the micro strategy to overcome the adversity.


If the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) performs well in the assembly polls, it would bolster the party’s claims of being the only inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s legacy. However, the challenges are huge.

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