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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.

Congress likely to suffer setback in Marathwada

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra chief minister and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Chavan is likely to lodge a defining blow to the ailing Congress in Marathwada region during the union home minister Amit Shah’s visit to Nanded next week.


Chavan’s entry was expected to strengthen the BJP in the parts of Marathwada that had remained under the influence of the Congress. However, the party lost even the Nanded Lok Sabha seat. Chavan’s decision to quit the party was expected to weaken the Congress in the regions. That didn’t seem to happen at least during the parliamentary elections last year. Though the BJP recovered its position during assembly elections later, Chavan had little role to play in that sweeping victory of the state BJP. He remained stuck primarily to the Bhokar assembly segment from where his daughter Srijaya was contesting on the BJP ticket. His contribution to the party organization too remained dismal during the period.


On this backdrop, during the recent organizations elections Chavan sprang back to action and got his men elected to the district units of the BJP in many of the districts in Marathwada along with Nanded. During Shah’s visit to Nanded next week the next chapter of the story is likely to be written where majority of Chavan’s supporters within Congress party organization will be roped in to the BJP. Chavan is also likely to bring along more influential leaders from Congress and other political parties from Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur and Hingoli districts apart from Nanded. Many former Congress MLAs and MLCs are likely to join the BJP ahead of the local body elections later this year. Chavan is currently on a spree to meet such senior and heavyweight leaders from other parties, the sources said.


Chavan appeared to have lost his political clout in the region after joining the BJP. After debacle in Lok Sabha, he consciously avoided limelight and concentrated on the assembly segments in Nanded district. Jitesh Antapurkar from Deglur-Biloli and Chavan’s daughter Srijaya from Bhokar won the election restoring Chavan’s confidence. In the next stage Chavan established his upper hand in the district party unit. Now his next step will be to rope in Congress heavyweights, sources close to him have said.


Former minister from Pathri Suresh Varpudkar and former MLAs Kailas Gorantyal (Jalna) and Badamrao Pandit (Gevrai) along with a few more former MLAs are likely to join the BJP in presence of Shah next week. Chavan is very actively pursuing all such leaders. He even visited Nanded Congress district president B R Kadam sending out a strong signal that he not keeping any stone unturned in strengthening the BJP in the region as part of efforts to restore his lost clout in the region.

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