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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.

‘Kharge’s mother, sister died in Razakar attack but he keeps mum for Muslim vote’

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Yogi Adityanath

Amravati: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday claimed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge purposely keeps mum on the tragic death of his mother and sister in an attack by Razakars as he feared losing Muslim votes.


Days after Kharge criticised the seer-turned-politician on his saffron attire and “Batenge to Katenge” slogan, Adityanath launched a strong counterattack at a poll rally in Maharashtra’s Amravati.


He accused the Congress veteran of suppressing these painful personal memories for political expediency. Adityanath alleged Congress ignores historical atrocities for the sake of vote bank politics.


Kharge has conveniently forgotten the history of the Razakars under the Nizam of Hyderabad despite the personal loss he had suffered, Adityanath said.


“(Mallikarjun) Kharge’s village, Varawatti, was also burned down by Razakars, and his mother, aunt, and sister died in the attacks,” Adityanath claimed.


He alleged Kharge was suppressing this truth fearing he might lose Muslim votes if he spoke about atrocities committed by the Nizam’s forces.


“Congress is trying to reject history and Kharge has conveniently forgotten what happened to his family, just for vote bank politics,” said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.


The Razakars was a paramilitary force that operated in the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad with a primary objective to maintain the rule of the Muslim Nizams of Hyderabad and prevent the accession of Hyderabad to India.


The UP CM further alleged that the historical leadership of Congress compromised with the Muslim League in 1946, resulting in the division of India and the killing of Hindus.


“When the Nizam realised during the Independence movement that he could not remain independent, he resorted to killing Hindus.”


He claimed B R Ambedkar had advised Hindus and Scheduled Castes to move to Maharashtra for their safety (from the Nizam-ruled territory).


Adityanath also warned against divisions within the nation. “If you are divided, your daughters will become unsafe, temples will be attacked, and communities targeted. This is the reality of what happens when you are not united,” Adityanath said while drawing a parallel with the “rise of instances of love jihad and land jihad in Maharashtra” and blaming the erstwhile Congress governments.


He accused the opposition MVA of turning Maharashtra into a “base for love jihad and land jihad,” warning that the western state should not become a “laboratory”. “Because you were divided, this country was divided, and Hindus were killed because they were divided. That is why I have come to tell you: don’t get divided. ‘Ek hain toh safe hain’”.


He also revisited the Ayodhya issue, asserting that Hindus faced 500 years of humiliation because they were divided.


“We were divided, and that is why we suffered. ‘Hum bate the isliye kate the (Since we were divided, we fell),” the seer-turned-politician said.


Adityanath said in Uttar Pradesh, there was no such issue as “love jihad” or “land jihad. “Anyone who poses a danger to the safety of daughters or dares to capture land belonging to the poor and the government, ‘Yamraj’ will be ready to cut their tickets,” Adityanath added.


During a poll rally, Kharge had said, “On the one hand, you wear ‘gerua’ (saffron) clothes, and on the other hand, you say ‘batoge to katoge’. I would say to the BJP, either wear white clothes or if you are a sanyasi, wear ‘gerua’ clothes, but then get out of politics,” Kharge had said.

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