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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.

Caste Tinderbox

The custodial death of Somnath Vyankat Suryawanshi, a 35-year-old law student and anti-caste activist, in Parbhani district jail serves as a grim reminder of the potential for violence and unrest in Maharashtra. Suryawanshi, who had been detained alongside over 50 Dalit Bahujan youths for their alleged involvement in a recent outbreak of violence, died just hours after being sent to judicial custody. The circumstances surrounding his death, particularly the fact that he had been granted bail but died in police custody nonetheless, have sent shockwaves through the state. His tragic demise follows an already tense episode in Parbhani earlier this week when the desecration of a replica of the Constitution triggered violence.


What makes this event even more concerning is that it takes place days before the upcoming celebrations of the historic 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon (in Pune district) – an incident viewed as a symbol of Dalit pride. The Parbhani case echoes the tensions of the Bhima-Koregaon riots that erupted in late December 2017 and January 2018 - a period marked by violent clashes and the deepening divide between communities.


At the time, too, Fadnavis was CM. The Bhima-Koregaon riots, which started as a skirmish between Dalit and Maratha groups, quickly escalated into a statewide crisis, exacerbating long-standing tensions between the communities and drawing in national attention. The rioting led to massive damage to property and a hardening of identities in the state, while the state’s handling of the aftermath, including the alleged targeting of activists and intellectuals, raised uncomfortable questions about the state’s response to caste-based unrest.


Now, as he returns to the helm, the lesson for the CM from Bhima-Koregaon is clear: the authorities must be proactive in managing the tensions that frequently flare up around caste-based violence and protests. It is crucial that Chief Minister Fadnavis, who has returned to power in Maharashtra, takes swift action to prevent a repeat of the events of Bhima-Koregaon and ensure that the Parbhani tragedy does not spiral into widespread statewide unrest and spillover to other districts.


Suryawanshi’s death has already sparked protests and outrage, particularly from the Dalit community, who view his demise as another example of systemic police brutality. While the political situation in Maharashtra is far more fluid than in 2018, underlying fault lines remain. The Parbhani violence risks further inflaming tensions between Dalit and upper-caste communities, particularly as caste-based politics continues to shape the discourse in the state.


The Chief Minister must act decisively to ensure that neither the state’s institutions nor political rabble-rousers aggravate the violence. This begins with a full, throrough and transparent inquiry into Suryawanshi’s death.


A takeaway of Bhima-Koregaon is that violence can quickly spread if it is allowed to fester without intervention. A repeat of the 2018 riots must be avoided at all costs. Fadnavis must rise to the occasion, showing that Maharashtra is capable of managing its deep-seated social divisions without allowing them to boil over into violent confrontations.

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