top of page

By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

Ameet Satam’s Big Test

For a party that revels in bold strokes, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) latest move in Mumbai looks almost understated. The ruling party has quietly appointed AmeetSatam, a three-time legislator from Andheri (West), as president of its city unit, replacing Ashish Shelar. At first glance it seemed like routine reshuffling. In reality, it was anything but. The decision signals a recalibration of strategy as the BJP girds for next year’s high-stakes elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), India’s wealthiest civic body and a long-time bastion of the undivided Shiv Sena.


Satam, 49, is no lightweight. Born into a middle-class Maharashtrian household, he cut his political teeth under the tutelage of Gopinath Munde, a party stalwart who embodied the BJP’s early push in Maharashtra. From youth-wing leader to corporator to three-term MLA, his trajectory reflects the classic path of a party organiser who has stayed loyal through thick and thin. His elevation, announced jointly by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state party chief Ravindra Chavan, is meant to project both continuity and renewal: an old-school hand attuned to Mumbai’s urban challenges, yet young enough to energise the cadre.


Identity politics looms large in Mumbai, and here too Satam ticks a crucial box. With his Konkan roots and Marathi credentials, he provides ballast against the ‘Marathi asmita’ (pride) plank pushed by Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. In a contest where cultural belonging matters as much as governance, the BJP needed a face who could straddle both North Indian and Gujarati migrants (traditional party bases) while reassuring native Mumbaikars. Satam’s appointment is a nod to this balancing act.


There is also a more practical calculation. Ashish Shelar, who led the city unit for three terms, has been rewarded with two cabinet berths in the state government. The party’s ‘one-leader-one-post’ rule required his exit. Satam was not the only name in contention. Pravin Darekar, a former MNS man and once Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, was also considered. But his baggage, including a cooperative-bank scam case, and his shifting party loyalties told against him.


In contrast, Satam’s unblemished record and organisational pedigree made him a safer bet. Behind the scenes, the appointment enhances Fadnavis’ clout. Satam is widely seen as his trusted ally, unlikely to challenge him or carve out an independent fiefdom. That keeps Mumbai BJP firmly tethered to the state leadership at a time when the party cannot afford discord.


The task before Satam is formidable. The BMC, with an annual budget larger than some states, has been run by the Sena for over three decades. In 2017 the BJP won 82 of 227 seats, its best showing yet, but still fell short of dislodging its erstwhile ally. Since the Sena’s split in 2022, the civic polls have assumed outsized significance. Victory here would give the BJP not just bragging rights but also control over lucrative contracts, vast urban projects and patronage networks.


Satam’s early messaging has been sharp. He has attacked ‘aspirational toilets’ and other extravagant civic projects as symbols of corruption and waste, calling for probes and transparency. It is a line designed to resonate with citizens weary of potholes, stalled infrastructure and the perception of graft that has long dogged the BMC. At the same time, he has laid out priorities in mobility, housing, safety, infrastructure that echo the concerns of an expanding, anxious metropolis. Framing these within the larger narrative of protecting Mumbai’s identity, he hopes to neutralise Sena’s cultural rhetoric.


Organisation will be key. The BJP aims to triple its mandals (local units) in the city, creating a denser network of ward-level committees. Satam’s background as a grassroots worker is expected to help in this exercise, but time is short. Mobilising cadres across communities - Marathi-speaking locals, North Indian migrants, Gujarati traders, and newer arrivals - will test both his political dexterity and his managerial skills.


None of this guarantees success. The Sena (UBT), though weakened by defections, still commands deep loyalty in many Marathi neighbourhoods. The Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) remain factors in pockets. Moreover, the BJP’s own brand of urban politics, which emphasises muscular nationalism alongside promises of efficiency, has yet to fully convince sceptical Mumbaikars who judge parties by potholes filled and trains unclogged rather than rhetoric.


Still, the symbolism is clear. In Satam, the BJP has chosen not a celebrity or a powerbroker but a disciplined apparatchik, a reminder that in local elections, organisational stamina often trumps star power.


(The Writer is a communication professional. Views Personal.)

Comments

bottom of page