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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.

Brawls rock Lilavati Hospital

Trustee, staffers engage in public slanging matches

Mumbai:  The prestigious Lilavati Hospital in Bandra west, much in the slimelight for various reasons, witnessed at least three public brawls peppered with choicest abuses and near-fisticuffs among a Permanent Trustee and certain staffers, sources said.

 

The showdowns took place in October 2024, January and February 2025 that willy-nilly exposed some scams inside the hallowed portals of the hospital – ranging from corruption to sexist behaviour, besides the alleged spectre of ‘black magic’ that was admitted by the authorities there in March 2025 – raising many questions of the murky goings-on.

 

One incident concerned a Permanent Trustee Rajiv Kishor Mehta, son of the Trustees Kishor Mehta (who died in May 2024) and Charu Mehta, besides being son-in-law of diamantaire and erstwhile Bollywood's moneybags mogul, Bharat Shah.

 

Rajiv Kishor Mehta claimed that a Vice-President and Head of Purchase Shubham Bardhan – said to be loyal to another Permanent Trustee Rajesh Kishor Mehta (twin brother of Rajiv Kishor Mehta) entrusted with the critical supply chain management - was appointed as a co-signatory with any Trustee in Dec. 2024, but without a formal Board Resolution.

 

Rajiv described Bardhan with unsavoury words like - ‘uncouth, uncultured, rodent, amateur, robber, alcoholic, mental patient having a split personality disorder and sex-predator’ - who physically prevented him from inspecting the hospital’s 12th floor on Feb. 1, where deluxe suites are planned.

 

When Rajiv asked to examine the materials department where medical and other supplies were carelessly stored, Bardhan’s team asked him to take prior permission of his twin-brother (Rajesh Kishor Mehta). As he waited there, Bardhan plus his staffers and some security guards barged towards him menacingly.

 

Though Rajiv beat a retreat, he shot off a stinker to the COO Dr. Niraj Uttamani and all the Trustees, demanded security for self as Bardhan would have pushed him from the 12th floor that day, probe and suspension of Bardhan, and action by a sexual harassment panel for his alleged sexual exploitation of women staffers.

 

The hospital’s Guest Relations Department chief Mayuri Kulkarni recounted two other instances of January 2025 and October 2024, hinting at questionable intentions by Bardhan to some female staffers. (both letters viewed by The Perfect Voice).

 

Bardhan threw his designation and the matter reached the COO Dr. Uttamani and Permanent Trustee Rajiv, where Kulkarni narrated how she and other women were insulted, humiliated as their modesty was hurt in a public forum.

With the latest revelations, some ex-Trustees and officials in the know want the Charity Commissioner, the Anti-Corruption Bureau and other concerned agencies to intervene. 

 

Permanent Trustee exposes ‘commission-scam’

Lilavati Hospital’s Permanent Trustee Rajiv Kishor Mehta unwittingly laid bare an alleged ‘commission scam’ involving Bardhan and implicating twin-brother and Permanent Trustee Rajesh Kishor Mehta.

 

Rajiv accused Bardhan of openly demanding and pocketing commissions from external manufacturers, suppliers and vendors which was giving a bad image to the hospital. Going further, he contended that the VP (Bardhan) of Lilavati Hospital was the only one in Mumbai seeing such cuts, and those who failed to pay up were struck off the hospital list.

 

“I have personally received complaints about him asking money under-the-table by various pharmaceutical companies, equipment companies and surgical suppliers. One vendor even admitted to this in front of Dr. Uttamani, Gauti Bhatia, Peter D’Souza and myself. The man (Bardhan) is a complete blot to the 3 decades of reputation built by our founding fathers,” said Rajiv.

 

Besides threatening the suppliers of discontinuing their business with Lilavati Hospital, Rajiv said that Bardhan regularly summons young female employees of many departments to his room ‘for reasons best known to him’, or how he greeted them as ‘Hello, Beautiful ladies!’, barges into their rooms, made highly sexist and perverse remarks at them, and at least two harassed women wanted to quit their jobs.

 

“This man Shubham is a characterless, greedy and the worst employee in the history of Lilavati Hospital. I need complete protection from him as he may cause grievous harm to me and my family members and many of the ladies working in our erstwhile hospital,” said Rajiv Kishor Mehta.

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