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.

Another Thackeray Son Rises

Updated: Oct 25, 2024

Amit Thackeray

Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray, has finally entered the electoral politics. His father announced his name as the party candidate from the Mahim assembly constituency in Mumbai on Wednesday.


It was in the year 2020 that Amit was formally inducted in the party that his father founded. Within two years he was made the chief of the youth wing of the party. Being the son of the supreme leader of the party, the respect and the aura come to him naturally. But, more than that he is a very patient listener and lends an ear to the party workers. He also mingles a lot among the grass root workers of the party, by which he has been able to form a base for himself.


Amit has an impressive personality and his public presence is assuring. Though his public speaking skills have not been tested much as yet, he is effective in smaller meetings and guides the party cadres carefully. Due to these organizational skills, he was made to tour the whole of Maharashtra as the youth wing chief of the party and he gathered cadres and built the youth wing of the party in most of the places across Maharashtra, tell his associates and party workers.


Amit is married to fashion designer Mitali Borude and the couple is blessed with a son. Amit knew Mitali through his sister Urvashi who runs a joint venture named ‘The Rack’ with Mitali in Bandra. Amit and Mitali came closer during his serious illness a few years back. She lent him great support and helped him come out of the trauma. They tied knot in 2019.


After being launched in the politics and given the responsibility of the youth wing, he was being groomed since past few years for the municipal polls. For the MNS, the municipal polls had been more significant. However, since those elections haven’t taken place, he was asked to conduct meetings of the party workers across the state ahead of Lok Sabha elections a few months back. At the last moment his party decided to lend unconditional support to PM Modi and Amit had to withdrew his plans to contest parliamentary election.


His name was also doing rounds ahead of the assembly polls in a similar fashion. Speculations were rife that he might contest from Worli assembly segment from where his cousin Aaditya Thackeray is the sitting MLA. With Raj Thackeray naming Amit as the party candidate for Mahim all those speculations have been proven wrong. Amit will face Shiv Sena’s sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar and Shiv Sena’s (UBT) zonal chief Mahesh Sawant in the poll fray.


Mahim assembly constituency is a Marathi stronghold and senior MNS leader Nitin Sardesai had represented the constituency in Maharashtra assembly between 2009 and 2014. Shiv Sena’s Sadanand S. Sarvankar won the constituency in 2014 and 2019. He is currently with CM Eknath Shinde and the three term MLA is expected to contest again contest the seat and brace for a tough fight vis-a-vis a Thackeray ‘heir’ jumping into the fray.

Comments

bottom of page