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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.

Drugs, Demolitions and Development Dilemmas

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Nashik

In the countdown to the November 20 Assembly polls, Nashik, a city once epitomizing tranquillity and spirituality, its revered religious ties to the Ramayana, is now embroiled in a contentious election season. Known as the ‘cultural heart’ of North Maharashtra, the Assembly segments in Nashik are caught up in controversial flashpoints, namely a surging drug menace, a bitter political feud between two former allies, and a high-profile demolition.


The drug problem first cast a shadow over Nashik last year, when Mumbai Police uncovered a massive operation led by Lalit Patil, a local businessman, involving mephedrone worth over Rs 300 crore. This discovery - which followed a long trail across vital Maharashtra cities including Pune - has since triggered a wave of concern, particularly in the Nashik Central Assembly seat, where rising drug abuse among youth and even children has become an alarming reality.


BJP MLA Devyani Pharande, seeking re-election as the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate, has positioned herself as an advocate for curbing the menace, while her rival, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vasant Gite, has accused her of complicity, alleging that she used her political clout to shield drug peddlers.


While Pharande vehemently denies these allegations, the drug issue has resonated deeply with voters. This already charged atmosphere took another twist with the demolition of Gite’s office, which was razed by authorities soon after the Shiv Sena (UBT) took a slim lead in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.


Gite, once the mainstay of Raj Thackeray’s MNS in Nashik, claims the demolition was orchestrated by Pharande and the BJP, accusing her of using her political power to target him. In return, Pharande has hit back at Gite for his alleged involvement in illegal alcohol sales from his office. The escalating tensions between the two have made the contest here not just about governance, but about personal rivalries and vendettas.


Gite, who once served as Mayor under Shiv Sena, has significant support within the minority community, having previously won elections unopposed from a Muslim-majority ward. Pharande, on the other hand, relies on the organizational strength of the BJP and her connections to the electorate through her tenure as Deputy Mayor of the Nashik Municipal Corporation.


The underlying issues of urban development and infrastructure remain a key concern. In the Nashik West Assembly segment, home to two major industrial estates, the lack of progress on infrastructure, particularly roads and drainage, has stunted economic growth. Despite promises from both the state and central BJP governments to develop the region, industries are struggling to survive.


The constituency is shaping up to be a tight race between the incumbent BJP MLA Seema Hiray, her challenger Dinkar Patil from MNS and the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sudhakar Badgujar, who is the MVA candidate.


Hiray is facing significant criticism for her failure to address these infrastructural challenges, despite having served two terms in office.


In this context, the MNS led by Raj Thackeray, is attempting to regain Nashik with its manifesto proposing its ‘Nashik model of development’ as the party once held the trump card in the Nashik Municipal Corporation.


With promises ranging from decentralization of industries to the creation of affordable housing and new recreational spaces, the MNS aims to present a fresh alternative to the existing political leadership.


As the countdown to Election Day accelerates, the looming question for voters is whether any candidate can rise above the noise of personal vendettas and factionalism to address the real challenges facing this once-peaceful city.

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