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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.

Ditching Marathi for Hindutva

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Hindutva

Change is an inevitable part of life, and the only constant, according to the Buddha. Failure to adapt to changing needs results in danger of becoming obsolete. But what if the change is merely a knee-jerk reaction to something, rather than a thorough conviction?


The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray has once again changed his stance within six months declaring that his party will be going solo for the state polls and would be a part of the next government.


The political landscape in Maharashtra is gearing up for significant battles in the upcoming assembly elections. The unpredictable leader’s decision to contest the assembly elections independently raised many eyebrows. Three years after its formation, Raj Thackeray’s MNS won 13 Assembly seats in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections. The undivided Shiv Sena received a major setback in their bastion. The erstwhile Parel constituency which was the stronghold of Shiv Sena for years was won by MNS. Bala Nandgaonkar, the MNS leader defeated Sena strongman Dagdu Sakpal by sizable margin in that constituency.


Ahead of the 2014 general elections, Thackeray endorsed Narendra Modi for Prime Minister but at the same time he fielded his own candidates against the BJP’s ally, the Shiv Sena. Raj Thackeray’s confusing tactics prompted his core vote base to shift to BJP, resulting in a dismal performance for the MNS in the 2014 Maharashtra state elections, in which the party bagged just one seat. Since then, Thackery’s MNS has lost a considerable number of seats in several municipal corporations across the state. Ahead of the 2019 Assembly election, Thackeray briefly tried to join hands with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party.


Raj Thackeray has gone from backing Narendra Modi in 2014 to campaigning against the BJP in 2019 and started strongly peddling the Hindu cause. He also directed his workers to recite the Hanuman Chalisa in front of mosques if loudspeakers are not removed. Hindutva’ and ‘Marathi pride’ will be the pivots of the MNS, he announced. He changed the MNS flag to saffron and later announced a visit to Ayodhya. To keep his political existence intact he kept on changing the sides and shifting the role. As a result the party which got a sizable following in many districts of the state is presently not in a good shape.


It seems obvious that the MNS is trying to fill the political void left by the Shiv Sena when the party joined hands with the secular Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to form an alliance to take power in Maharashtra. But yet to make any impact in that direction. The frequent changes in the stand has cost the party a lot.

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