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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

Bollywood hopes for reforms, daily wagers, reduction in taxes

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Bollywood

Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for the state assembly elections on November 20, the Hindi film industry in Mumbai hopes the new government will bring critical reforms for daily wage workers and policies to reduce financial burdens on the sector.


In five days, the state will witness an electoral battle between the ruling Mahayuti, comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP, and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi led by the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). Actor Suresh Oberoi emphasised the importance of voting, referring to it as a “national festival”.


“Voting is a national festival, and it is your duty to exercise your voting rights and strengthen the foundation of democracy,” the veteran actor told PTI.

Talking to PTI, actor Gulshan Devaiah said, “Elections are a hallmark of a good democracy, and it is the people’s right. No matter what problems we may have with each other, electorally and ideologically, we can hold free and fair elections, so that’s quite amazing.” Film producer Boney Kapoor echoed similar sentiments.


“It is the right of every citizen of this country to vote and elect a leader and make the government machinery as democratic as possible,” he said. Governance focused on development and welfare is paramount, filmmaker Subhash Ghai said.


“I don’t belong to any political party; Maharashtra is my karma bhoomi. Whoever thinks about the state’s development should be our leader, irrespective of the party. It is important to vote first, and we all should do that,” he said.


For stakeholders, the lack of government support for daily wagers in the industry is one of the main concerns. The issue came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything came to a grinding halt in the Bollywood dream factory.


B N Tiwari, president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), pointed out that despite numerous appeals to political leaders for assistance, little has been done to secure job stability for daily wagers.


“They need all sorts of help from the film industry, but they (political leaders) never think about us. We have written to them numerous times to implement the PPF scheme for workers, provide them with job security, etc. We fail to understand why those who talk about helping the poor people don’t do anything for them,” Tiwari told PTI.


He said the plight of daily wagers in the film industry has gone unnoticed as many continue to face economic hardships after the COVID-19 pandemic.


Devaiah, best known for his work in “Badhaai Do”, “Dahaad”, and “Guns & Gulaabs”, highlighted the inadequacies of support systems in place for workers since the pandemic.


“When I came in 2008 (to Mumbai), a lot of systems were in place. Post-COVID-19, several workers are not doing well financially, so some schemes for them will be good. I got a circular from the union asking for donations (for workers), and it is possible that these unions don’t have enough funds,” he said.


Mumbai, hailed as the heart of Bollywood, is facing a crisis in its film infrastructure, Tiwari claimed, referring to the iconic Film City in suburban Mumbai. In a stark assessment of Film City Tiwari, he said the area has become a place that reflects “horror” more than “glamour”, especially compared to the well-maintained Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.


“The state government is not thinking about Film City here. Considering the condition of the place, one can shoot a horror film there. There are so many sets in Ramoji Film City, all well-maintained. In the Film City here, nothing is worth a visit,” he said.


He pointed out that the Uttar Pradesh government is developing the largest Film City and providing subsidies so everyone will go there to shoot. “The Hindi film industry is synonymous with Mumbai, and people come to the city because of the glamour world. I hope the new state government will do something for it,” Tiwari said. The film exhibition sector is also feeling the strain, especially this year.

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