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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.

Lofty Promises

Updated: Feb 6, 2025

Despite the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiling its highest-ever budget of Rs. 75,000 crores for 2025-26, the real test for the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government lies in execution. The city’s infrastructure remains creaky, and unless these ambitious projects translate into tangible improvements, Mumbai risks yet another cycle of grand promises with little to show for it.


This budget, submitted for the third consecutive year under an administrator rather than an elected body, is clearly aimed at the impending BMC elections. While politically motivated, it does introduce some notable measures. Impressively, no new taxes have been proposed, despite the scale of projects envisioned. The civic body has earmarked Rs. 43,162 crores for capital expenditure - accounting for over half the budget - signalling a push for much-needed infrastructure development. However, familiar challenges remain: Mumbai’s overburdened transport, waste management and sewage systems have long suffered from slow-moving projects, bureaucratic bottlenecks and rampant inefficiency.


The marquee projects in the budget include the Rs. 5,545 crores allocated for the Mumbai Sewage Disposal Project, which aims to construct seven Sewage Treatment Plants. These facilities, set to become operational in phases between 2026 and 2028, could significantly improve Mumbai’s waste management. However, previous projects of similar scale have often faced delays and cost overruns. The near-complete Mumbai Coastal Road, a rare success story, offers hope, but other big-ticket items like the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road and Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road remain in early stages.


The budget proposes to revive the long-stalled Mumbai Eye, a Ferris wheel modelled after the London Eye, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). Despite past failures due to feasibility issues and environmental opposition, especially from Bandra Reclamation residents, the BMC’s latest push seems more like an election stunt than a serious development plan. One of the budget’s most crucial allocations is for the city’s water supply. The long-delayed Gargai Dam project, stalled since 2019 due to environmental concerns, has been revived with an allocation of Rs. 36 crores. The project aims to improve Mumbai’s precarious water supply. However, given the ecological implications which require the felling of 4.5 lakh trees, the government must tread carefully.


Healthcare funding has been boosted to Rs. 7,380 crore, a 13.95 percent increase, with notable expansion of the Aapla Dawakhana initiative, which has served 90 lakh patients. However, like infrastructure projects, the success of these schemes depends on execution, as the city’s public health sector has struggled with inefficiencies and inadequate facilities despite previous budget increases. The Mahayuti government has no shortage of plans, but Mumbai’s history is littered with projects that never materialized or were delivered half-baked. Without strict execution, monitoring and accountability, this record-breaking budget will remain just another grand announcement. Mumbai deserves better than just promises - it needs action.

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