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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.

Birds of a feather

Headley, Kasab, Mir’s links to Muridke terror school

Mumbai: The infamous David Coleman Headley, Sajid Mir and the hanged desperado of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks Ajmal Kasab enjoyed close links among themselves as well as the terrorist training camp in Muridke, near Lahore which was targeted during the ‘Operation Sindoor’.


Mir was once declared ‘dead’ by Pakistan, but after pressures from multiple directions, he was resurrected, caught alive and arrested, proving that country’s role in actively abetting terror, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told the media. In fact, Mir was a key participant at every stage of the November 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks by 10 armed extremists, including Kasab, of the Lashkar-E-Taiba.


This came to fore during the deposition of Pakistani-American national Headley alias Daood Sayed Gilani, who - along with his Pakistan-Canadian friend Tahawwur Hussain Rana, currently in custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA) - had recced multiple sites for the 26/11 covert operation.


Mir, with a dozen aliases to deceive international snoops, practically looked after the LeT’s ‘foreign affairs’, and was among the closest confidants of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, as revealed by Headley.


Headley said that he ‘reported’ to Mir, who asked him to do a recce of the National Defence College in New Delhi and Chabad House – Jewish places of worship – and his assignments were also known to another ISI shady operative Major Iqbal.


The details

After Mumbai’s 26/11, Indian intelligence and security agencies learnt in depth about the weird goings-on in ‘Markaz Taiba’ a multi-level institution to indoctrinate and train terrorists. As further revealed by ‘Markaz Taiba’ alumnus Kasab, Headley and others, similar activities are going on in other such centres like Mansehra, Muzaffarabad, Azizabad and Paanch Teni, monitored by the fearsome Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi, one of the Most Wanted on the NIA list.


A cradle for terror training

In his confessional to Mumbai Police, Kasab provided a vivid account of ‘Markaz Taiba’ LeT training camp where he and others were taught terror tactics in two sessions of three weeks each, followed by advanced training when they were given hints of a mega-strike operation due for execution within a few months.


He shed light on why the India’s commercial capital Mumbai was selected as a high-profile target, the moral and political justification for the attacks put forth by the LeT bosses, on how to enter slyly through the soft Arabian Sea route, the larger picture of ‘liberating Kashmir’ from India’s control, plus the lure of guaranteed place in ‘Jannat’ (Heaven) for joining that suicidal mission. Headley elaborated on Muridke in his deposition before Mumbai Special Judge G. A. Sanap (in Feb. 8-13, 2016) by Special PP Ujjwal Nikam, and during the cross-examination (March 23-26, 2016) by Adv. Abdul Wahab Khan. He spoke about the ‘Markaz Taiba’s highly qualified terrorist ‘Masters’ like Abu Furkhan, Abu Hamza, Sanaullah, Abu Fahadullah, Abu Usman, Abu Saeed, and the dubiously distinguished ‘Visiting Faculty’ comprising Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

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