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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.

Ladki Bahin, ‘batenge toh katenge’ raise campaign pitch

Ladki Bahin

Mumbai: The Assembly polls campaign, which started on issues like welfare initiatives and development, has reached its crescendo with phrases such as ‘vote jihad’, ‘dharma yuddha’, ‘Constitution under threat’ dominating the discourse.


The campaign, set to conclude on Monday, also saw NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray make an emotional pitch to voters, citing the “betrayal” by Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, respectively.


The Mahayuti government, comprising the Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde, BJP and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, has been highlighting its Ladki Bahin scheme for women in the run-up to the November 20 state polls.


The previous Uddhav Thackeray-headed MVA government lasted for two-and-a-half years, before being pulled down by large-scale desertions in the Shiv Sena by Shinde and other leaders in June 2022. Last year, Ajit Pawar also walked out with several NCP legislators and became the deputy CM in the Mahayuti government.


The factions led by Shinde and Ajit Pawar have been recognised by the Election Commission as the ‘real’ Shiv Sena and NCP, respectively.

The “betrayal” by Shinde and Ajit Pawar dominated the poll campaign of the NCP(SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), with Thackeray urging voters to defeat “gaddars” at the hustings.


Sharad Pawar (84) has also been on a whirlwind tour of the state and addressing rallies in the strongholds of his one-time confidants - Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse-Patil.


The senior Pawar is likely to address a rally on Monday in his home town Baramati, where Ajit Pawar is taking on his nephew and debutant politician Yugendra Pawar of the NCP (SP).


“The BJP admitting Ajit Pawar in the government is a betrayal of the core values the party stands for. It was the BJP that had called Ajit Pawar corrupt and launched a campaign against him,” claimed Vinod Salunkhe, a die-hard BJP supporter from Dadar in Mumbai.


However, he said he is resigned to supporting the BJP as there was “no other alternative”.


“I have just two options -- either sit at home or support the BJP,” Salunkhe, a senior executive in a corporate firm, said.


After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Shinde-led Mahayuti government rolled out a slew of welfare measures, including the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, that hands out Rs 1,500 as monthly doles to women.


“Over 2.3 crore women have benefited from the scheme with many receiving up to Rs 7,500,” a government official said.


The scheme was launched in July and Shinde said the government had paid the installment for November in advance, anticipating the model code of conduct following the announcement of elections.


Despite welfare measures and the development pitch, phrases such as ‘batenge toh katenge’ (divided we fall), ‘ek hai toh safe hai’ (united we are safe), ‘vote jihad’ and ‘dharma yuddha’ dominated the campaign gradually, drawing concern even by BJP leaders such as Pankaja Munde and Ashok Chavan and key ally Ajit Pawar.


Fadnavis contended the leaders have not understood the “core message” of unity sought to be conveyed through the slogan and claimed foreign invaders ruled the country whenever it was divided over caste lines.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has succinctly said it in the slogan ‘ek hai toh safe hai’,” Fadnavis recently said, adding the phrases signalled a pitch for unity.


Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who decided against entering the electoral fray, has also been touring parts of the state urging voters to defeat those opposed to reservation for the community.


In the din of the election campaign, issues such as creating employment, attracting investments, migration by farmers, rising costs of healthcare and education appear to have relegated to the background.


In rural parts of Maharashtra, issues like farm distress, slump in the prices of soybean and cotton and non-availability of farm labour are dominant, but virtually absent from the political discourse.


“The issue of onion export ban dealt a body blow to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections; in the assembly elections, soybean and cotton could be the issues nagging the ruling party,” Dipak Jagtap, an RTI activist from Manmad, said.


The state also saw the rival alliances roll out senior leaders from across country in the campaign.

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