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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.

Congress loses traditional Muslim voters to Sena (UBT)

UBT

Mumbai: Certain Congress leaders are contemplating whether it was the right decision to go again with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) this time too.


Many Congressmen confessed that while the decision to be part of the coalition may eventually lead them to power they point out that being part of the MVA have cost them both their traditional Muslim voters and Muslim party workers dearly.


A case in point is the Shiv Sena’s (UBT) first list which does not have a single Muslim face as a candidate in it. “What is the point of this alliance?” fumes a Congress leader on conditions of anonymity. “While all of our Muslim voters have been voting for the Sena we haven’t got any of their Marathi voters voting for our candidates! Our Muslim votebank has diminished.”


He gives an example of the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat won by Sena’s Arvind Sawant due to the Muslim votes from Byculla and Mumbadevi alone.


Another Congress leader points out that Sena is also ‘encroaching’ in their territory. “On Wednesday there was a gathering of many Muslim leaders and representatives specially from Mohalla committees at Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai to discuss the upcoming strategy. Almost 90 percent of guests in this gathering were Shiv Sainiks,” the leader says. “The Muslim organisations and members of civil society asked the Shiv Sena (UBT) workers why there is no representation to the community despite the Muslim voting for the party.”


A Congress insider claims that many Muslim party workers are leaving the party. “We used to have a large number of Muslim workers from Vidharbha and Marathwada who used to work with us.


They are now shifting their allegiance to other parties specially the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.”


A senior Congress leader says the party will suffer in Mumbai by giving away its strongholds.


Nizamuddin Rayen, spokesperson for Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), rubbishes all rumours of discontent amongst the Congress regarding the MVA pact. “The adjustment is happening in a good way, although lot of party workers may be angered with the way things are going, but the leaders will surely explain it to them.” He says the Muslims need not be worried by this as they are sure to get representation in the polls.


Nadeem Nusrath, General Secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) points out that through this alliance, the Congress has primarily been able to convey and demonstrate in very clear terms that secularism, liberty, freedom of expression and upholding in spirit and Constitution is the way forward in Indian polity.


“The Congress has been able to demonstrate in earnest that right wing political parties have accepted the fact that BJP, RSS is very narrow and parochial in its approach to Indian politics. Political power at all costs is their only dictum, to run this democracy.”


“When the people give their unconditional support to Congress, the internal dissatisfaction in the party becomes the primary and only spoiler,” says Nusrath.

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