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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.

BJP gains strength in Parbhani

Mumbai: While the Shiv Sena (UBT) is trying to flex muscles by opposing the Waqf amendment bill in the parliament, the party has seen consistent ‘outgoing’ in Marathwada region and its arch rival BJP has gained strength in Parbhani, where leaders from both, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) joined the BJP on Tuesday.


Prominent among those who joined the BJP in Parbhani on Tuesday include Purna APMC secretary Balaji Khaire, former secretary of Pathari Panchayat Samiti Arun Kolhe and PDCC director Balaji Desai. These leaders were followed by 60 chairpersons of multipurpose primary agriculture cooperative societies and 40 Sarpanchs in the district. This shall strengthen the party at the grass root level, said the minister for state Meghana Bordikar in whose presence these members joined the party.


On the other hand, however, the local leaders are seen leaving the Shiv Sena (UBT) in Marathwada region.


While the Shiv Sena (UBT) had wooed some of the disgruntled leaders from other parties ahead of the assembly polls last year in some of the districts of Marathwada, in other districts it had lent support to loyal grass root leaders who chose to be with the party even while a large majority of them went with Eknath Shinde during the rebellion three years ago.


In the last few months, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has seen consistant outgoing in Sambhaji Nagar, Jalana and Parbhani district weakening the region which was once the stronghold of the party.


The Shiv Sena under Eknath Shinde demonstrated a very good performance in Sambhaji Nagar district winning Six assembly seats and a parliamentary seat.


This led to most of the former corporators, former mayors and other office bearers to switch over to the party under Shinde. On the other hand, all the disgruntled BJP leaders whom the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership bestowed with candidature in assembly election, preferred to switch back to their original party post results. Suresh Bankar and Dineshsinh Pardeshi were quick to return to the party while Raju Shinde still appears to be in two minds about returning to the BJP though he has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be with the Shiv Sena (UBT) anymore.


While the ‘imported’ leaders deserted the UBT in Sambhaji Nagar, in Parbhani, Jalna and Dharashiv the old ‘loyalists’ who were given party tickets in assembly, chose to align with DCM Eknath Shinde over past quarter. Prominent among them are A J Borade from Partur in Jalna district and Vishal Kadam in Gangakhed constituency.


In short, though the UBT tested success in some places of Marathwada region, its losses are heavy and leaders continue to desert the party adding to their difficulties ahead of the local body elections later this year.

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