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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.

Heritage Rekindled

This year’s Diwali marks a landmark moment for Ayodhya. On this Diwali, Ayodhya glowed not just with the warmth of tradition but with a profound sense of fulfilment as over 2.5 million diyas lit up the banks of the Saryu, entering the Guinness World Records in the first ‘Deepotsav’ since the consecration of the long-awaited Ram Temple. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ceremonial lighting of the first lamps, the laser and drone shows bringing scenes from the Ramayana to life, and cultural showcases from across Asia made the event an awe-inspiring fusion of history, faith and nationalism.


Yet, this Diwali celebration in Ayodhya is more than a grand event; it symbolizes a 500-year wait and struggle, one that tested the resilience of millions who held fast to their beliefs despite decades of legal and ideological hurdles. Amid all the bitter legal and communal wrangling since the demolition of the Bari Mosque in 1992, the historical evidence, from as early as the 16th century, indubitably points to Hindu devotion at the site where generations gathered with unwavering faith even when the Babri Masjid had stood in place of a temple. Notably, historians like Meenakshi Jain and archaeologist K.K. Muhammad have documented the sacred significance of the site to Hindus over the centuries, countering narratives that aimed to dilute the importance of the Ram Janmabhoomi.


As legal battles raged on, the case became entangled in a web of political, ideological, and scholarly contentions.


Leftist scholars in India and their counterparts in the West have sought to reframe the temple’s significance, even proposing the provocative thesis that temple destruction was a widespread “established practice” among pre-Turkic Hindus themselves. This narrative, which has drawn both criticism and controversy, has done little to weaken the Hindu resolve. Rather, it only sharpened the symbolic struggle for Ram’s birthplace — a struggle that transcended legal battles and reached into the hearts of millions.


This year, Diwali at Ayodhya reverberates not only as a religious festival but as a victory against a backdrop of scepticism and suppression. Prime Minister Modi spoke to the historical importance of this moment, celebrating it as a homecoming not after 14 years of exile, as in the Ramayana, but after five centuries of waiting. For Ayodhya, this Diwali represents an arrival, not just of Lord Ram to his home but of a powerful vindication of faith long delayed. As the diyas flicker in the evening breeze, they reflect the hopes and aspirations of a community that has long yearned for recognition and reverence.


Ayodhya’s glow this year is a testament to the perseverance of a people who fought not for power or political advantage, but for recognition of a heritage they refused to let slip into obscurity. In their eyes, this Diwali symbolizes not merely the lighting of lamps but the long-awaited dawn after a historical darkness.

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