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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.

Dynasty Descendants

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Rebels, multi-cornered contests and dynasts – that’s the overriding theme of the Assembly elections that are coming up this month. Of the 4000 plus candidates in the fray, more than 20 are related to current and former politicians. No political party, despite making loaded statements about not supporting dynasties, is an exception to this trend.


Dynasts, it is believed, have ‘elective value’ with a ready support base, dedicated cadre, the goodwill the family may carry in the constituency and a familiar surname. Sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and in-laws are making their electoral debut in an election which is being fought more on allegations, accusations and changing loyalties than an ideology or development plans. If some offspring remain in the relative’s party, others are trying their luck in different parties with even siblings being split by political alliances.


PART - 3


Amit Thackeray, MNS

While his father is flamboyant and a crowd-puller, Amit is known to be quieter and low-key. Raj Thackeray’s son has been seen on MNS posters for several years but is now set to make his electoral debut from Mahim.




Kedar Dighe, Shiv Sena (UBT)

While he hasn’t been active in politics until now, at 44, Kedar Dighe makes his electoral debut from the Shiv Sena (UBT) which is seeking to pit Anand Dighe’s nephew against the Dighe senior’s protégé and incumbent chief minister Eknath Shinde from the Kopri-Pachpakhadi constituency.




Sana Malik, NCP

Senior leader Nawab Malik’s daughter is said to have managed her father’s constituency while he was in prison. Sana is now contesting the elections from Anushaktinagar.





Amar Patil, Shiv Sena

His father Ratikant Patil son has been an MLA and a Shiv Sena leader for years. Amar will contest the Solapur South seat.






Mayuresh Wanjale, MNS

His late father Ramesh Wanjale became the MNS’s first legislator from Pune when he won the state assembly elections from Khadakwasala in 2009. He was best recognised as the man with layers of thick gold around his neck earning him the nickname of the ‘Gold Man’.





Prabhavati Ghogare, Congress

at 57, is the oldest among political debutantes with a lineage in politics. Prabhavati is contesting on a Congress ticket from Shirdi, which was earlier held by her father-in-law Chandrabhan Ghogare.





Jyoti Gaikwad, Congress

A lecturer, she is following in the footsteps of her father Eknath Gaikwad and her sister Varsha who is a former minister and now a member of Parliament. Jyoti is set to contest the polls from Dharavi, a constituency her late father and sister have represented.




Archana Patil, BJP

The daughter-in-law of former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil-Chakurkar, a veteran Congress leader, joined the BJP recently. She is challenging Congress' Amit Deshmukh in Latur.

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