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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.

CM’s Troubleshooter

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

He came to be known as the saviour of the Eknath Shinde government in the state over past couple of years. He remained a prominent negotiator when it came to negotiations with Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil. He was also there at Davos to sign several MOUs that the government flaunted later. It can be seen that he is building his power. He is Uday Samant.


Born in a traditionally landlord family hailing from Sindhudurg district, money was never an issue for Uday Samant. His father Ravindra Samant had channelled the inherited family wealth in the contract business and the family had already came to be known as the prominent contractors by the time Uday completed his diploma in engineering. After a brief stint in Shiv Sena, Samant came into contact with NCP’s Gurunath Kulkarni which led to his meteoric rise on the political arena. Kulkarni groomed Samant and ensured that the party trusted the young leader. Samant reciprocated with sparkling results.


In 2004 NCP fielded Uday Samant in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly election from Ratnagiri constituency. His victory marked the beginning of a series of successful elections. He was re-elected in 2009, 2014, and 2019. For a brief period towards the end of UPA regimen in 2014 he served as the Minister of State for Urban Development. After switching over to the Shiv Sena in 2014, he concentrated on building his network within the party organization in his home district. One of the notable milestones in Samant’s career was his appointment as the Minister of Higher and Technical Education in 2019. That gave him the much needed opportunity to grow across the state.


During the rebellion, he was the last person to switch side to join Eknath Shinde. After a meeting with the then Chief Minister Uddahv Thackeray he went ‘not reachable’ and emerged in the Shinde camp at Guwahati putting an end to speculations that the rebellion might fizzle out. He got the reward and in 2022 Uday Samant was appointed as the Cabinet Minister for the Ministry of Industries in the Eknath Shinde-led government. While junking all the allegations levelled by the MVA allies he demonstrated how the government promoted industrial growth and development in the state.


Samant is known for his dynamic leadership, strategic vision, and unwavering dedication to public service. He also emerged as the biggest trouble shooter for CM Eknath Shinde over past two and half years. From demonstrating industrial growth in the state to countering the opposition’s claims and pacifying agitators opposing the mega projects and holding fruitful negotiations with agitators and building party network in the Konkan region Samant proved his mettle. His role after the current assembly elections would be worth watching as to how he uses his qualities and abilities.

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