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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.

Bhujbal opposes Maratha GR

Mumbai: In a major development food and civil supplies minister and senior OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal has opposed the government resolution (GR) issued by the state government in order to end the Maratha quota stir in Mumbai on September 2 and said that it should be quashed or modified.


In an 8-page letter written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Bhujbal has sought withdrawal or modification in the GR regarding the implementation of Hyderabad Gazette which may pave way for the Maratha community to get Kunbi (OBC) status.


“I’ve written the letter in my capacity as the founder-president of Akhil Bharatiya Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad. Our lawyers have prepared it. It has mentioned several legal issues in it. I presented the letter to the Chief Minister. He has carefully read it,” Bhujbal told the media after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.


“The government came out with the GR on September 2. They should have ensured that it doesn’t make any injustice to the over 350 casts included under Other Backward Category (OBC) while issuing the GR. But it appears that the state government has not taken enough precaution. Hence, we are now demanding that it be quashed or corrected. We have given the letter stating so to the government. We shall also move the court on the issues raised in the letter,” Bhujbal added.


He stated that the GR was issued in haste, under the tremendous pressure of one powerful community, without it being put before the Cabinet, not considering any objections and suggestions. While stating that the Maratha community can be educationally and economically backward, Bhujbal added that it certainly is not socially backward community. He further pointed out that since Maratha community has already been granted 10 per cent reservation under SEBC Act of 2024; the GR is rendered unlawful as it permits the Maratha community from getting the benefit of two types of reservations.


The letter has also raised objection over the mention of Maratha community in the GR. “It should have been mentioned as OBC or Kunbi or Maratha-Kunbi or Kunbi-Maratha. But, these words have been avoided,” Bhujbal said.


“Secondly, the various pronouncements of the Supreme Court and the High Courts and the consequent Acts passed by the State Legislature streamlining the qualifications and procedure for obtaining OBC caste certificates have been ignored, and in so far as the Marathas are concerned, the GR dated Sept. 2 makes a departure from the established procedure for caste verification and obtaining caste validity for all castes. Having, two different procedures for the same class i.e. OBCs, amounts to arbitrary action and invidious discrimination which has no nexus to a common object viz. verification and grant of caste certificate,” the letter said.


It also mentioned that one caste could not have been singled out and be given a special treatment for facilitating the issuance of caste certificates to them, leaving out other reserved backward categories.


The letter mentioned that affidavit ‘cannot and ought not to form the basis of caste certificates or belonging to a caste’ – as mentioned in the GR.


“In any case, affidavits to be used to decide or determine the caste of an individual is an unknown concept or the determination of caste in India, especially when it concerns the establishment of facts to secure constitutional protection of reservation in education and employment,” it said.


Meanwhile, state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who heads the state cabinet sub-committee on Maratha quota, on Tuesday said that decisions regarding reservations are already being implemented and there is no question of a rollback.


Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the cabinet sub-committee, Vikhe Patil said that OBC leader and state Minister Chhagan Bhujbal's "misunderstandings" on the issue would be clarified in person.


Vikhe Patil said, "The committee has kept its doors open for discussions with everyone. The effort is to preserve social harmony in the state, and the sub-committee is working on that line under the chief minister's guidance."


The meeting reviewed the implementation of the decision to issue caste certificates based on the Hyderabad and Satara gazetteers.

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