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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.

Legacy vs Incumbency

As the Maharashtra elections draw ever closer, the clash between political legacy and incumbency will redefine the political landscape in Nashik district’s Malegaon Outer Assembly segment.


The political arena in Malegaon Outer pits the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s (oppsoiton MVA’s) candidate Advay Hiray against veteran cabinet minister Dada Bhuse from the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, seeking re-election for a fifth straight term.


The stakes are high as both candidates carry the weight of their respective legacies into a constituency that has witnessed significant political shifts over the years.


Dada Bhuse, a stalwart of the Shiv Sena and a fixture in Maharashtra politics since 2004, has navigated his share of controversies, including serious allegations stemming from the 2001 Malegaon riots. Despite a chequered past, Bhuse has maintained a stronghold over the Malegaon Outer Assembly seat, touting his record of development projects that have transformed the constituency. His tenure has seen the completion of key infrastructure projects. That said, he will be fighting against the headwinds of anti-incumbency sentiments.


Enter Advay Hiray, scion of a prominent political family with deep roots in Maharashtra. The Hiray clan, once synonymous with grassroots politics in the region, has struggled to maintain its relevance over the past few decades.


Advay is the great-grandson of the late Bhausaheb Hiray, a distinguished Congress leader from North Maharashtra who served as a minister in successive cabinets. The Hiray family has a storied political legacy, with other notable members, such as Pushpatai Hiray and Adya’s father - Prashant Hiray, also having held elected office and ministerial roles across various administrations.

Once, Malegaon stood as a bastion of Hiray influence; however, this stronghold was gradually usurped by Bhuse, who supplanted the Hiray clan, who, by this time had fragmented owing to internecine political rivalries.


Advay’s switch to Shiv Sena (UBT) from the BJP in January 2023 was strategic and came at a time when Uddhav Thackeray was trying to rebuild his splintered party in north Maharashtra. Advay himself has faced serious legal troubles, including an arrest related to a cooperative bank fraud.

And yet, he is now positioning himself as the candidate of change against Bhuse’s established regime.

Malegaon Outer, a mix of urban and rural demographics, faces pressing challenges that extend beyond individual candidates. The area is grappling with economic struggles, particularly among onion farmers who have been hit hard by recent export bans, and ongoing demands for improved infrastructure and local governance.


Complicating the contest in Malegaon Outer is the emergence of Bandu Bachhav, a young leader who, after being passed over for a Sena (UBT) ticket, is running as an independent. With a robust local network, Bachhav is poised to siphon votes from both Bhuse and Hiray, potentially tipping the scales in this tightly contested seat.


As the election date draws near, the race in Malegaon Outer is not just about two candidates but a reflection of broader political currents in Maharashtra. Will Advay Hiray’s legacy help reclaim the Hiray family’s lost prominence, or will Bhuse’s experience and established network hold strong against the winds of change?

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