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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.

Dilemma Over School Uniform

School Uniform

Educationists and academic experts across the world questioned the trend of school uniforms. According to them, such policies, while aiming for uniformity, might inadvertently suppress student creativity and self-identity, vital for holistic educational development. Turning the back towards the arguments made by educationists, the Maharashtra government came with the idea of the ‘one state, one uniform’ policy and eventually messed up making mockery of the helpless students. Furious parents requested to change the uniforms, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.  


The ‘one state, one uniform’ policy aims to standardise uniforms for students in classes 1 to 8 across all government schools in Maharashtra starting from the 2024-25 academic year. Historically, state government schools had identical uniforms two decades ago, but this practice was later discontinued, allowing schools to choose their own uniforms. In rural areas, clusters of schools have maintained similar uniforms. Under the new policy, the government will provide one set of uniforms to be worn on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.


The education department of the state swung into action and took some hasty decisions. Hurriedly the state ordered that the second set, the ‘Scout and Guide’ uniforms, be worn on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, which has to be arranged by local School Management Committees (SMCs). However, SMCs have refused this responsibility, citing the inadequate Rs 110 per uniform policy set by the state.


In spite of this the distribution of uniforms was delayed by nearly four months since schools resumed for this academic year. But the script to the story was added at this juncture. Centrally-distributed school uniforms by the state government continue to be riddled with more issues like inferior quality, frays, incorrect fits and even parts of the attire missing in some cases. Due to this pathetic state of affairs, the ambitious plan of “one state one uniform” which has been marred with controversies since the beginning has run into more troubles, after the distribution of these uniforms two sets per student. Various issues with the new uniforms came to fore, teachers from government-run schools have complained of having to deal with angry parents, as they demand a return to the old practice of making and distributing uniforms at the school level.


The uniforms which were distributed to the students were of inferior quality. Many of them were torn. Incorrect fits and even parts of the attire missing in some cases. The fabric which was used for the uniforms was of low quality. The government had virtually made a mockery of the poor students.

Many students were reluctant to wear these new uniforms as people started making fun of them. Some students stopped coming to the schools.


This issue was raised also in the legislature but on the floor of the house the who cares attitude of the state government was seen.

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