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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 workers unhappy with seat allocation

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

They are dejected as Shiv Sena (UBT) bags Byculla, Versova, and Vile-Parle. Only solace is Bandra (W)

Congress

Mumbai: A large number of Congressmen including long-time loyal party workers are upset with the way the party has been allocating its seats for the upcoming Assembly polls. Many allege that the party has been deliberately allocating seats to weaker candidates instead of strong and able ones who may have a chance at winning and can lead the party to victory.


The Congress as part of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) appears to have limited access over which seats it can and cannot contest. Due to pressure from the alliance partners, the party was forced to let go of the seats of Byculla, Versova and Vile-Parle to Shiv Sena (UBT), which has led to unrest within the party workers. Added to that, workers point out that candidates which appear to have a strong track record of winning in these elections have been sidelined.


A Congressmen on conditions of anonymity cites an example of ex-Congress corporator Ravi Raja from Sion-Koliwada. He was denied an election ticket. Shamim Ansari from Byculla is another example. He too had toiled hard in the constituency. Both have been ignored despite their names making it to the final list of aspiring candidates.


“Raja has been a councilor for nearly five terms and an Opposition leader in the BMC. Despite 45 years of his service to the party his name was dropped at the last minute,” said a leader. “Ansari too does not have a chance anymore because that seat has now gone to the Sena”.

“A certain section of MLAs has fought vehemently for the Byculla and Versova seats but in vain. We were worried about the Bandra (West) constituency. The party does not give into pressure and allotted it to Asif Zakaria, a deserving candidate,” said another Congress leader.


This leader says Maharashtra may go the Haryana way for the Congress if things are not looked into and taken seriously.


Nizamuddin Rayen, Spokesperson for the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), said that not much should be read into such things as they happen during elections. “The Congress is in a good position within the MVA. Every deserving candidate will get a ticket. Those who don’t get are bound to get upset but they need not worry as our leaders will speak to them and convince them that it is the betterment of the party,” he said.

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