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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.

Luxury home sales drop, budget houses boom

Mumbai: The city’s realty sector is worried as the demand for luxury homes dropped drastically against a sharp hike in the sales of budget category houses, in the first half of 2025, latest industry data has revealed.

 

As per data released by ANAROCK Group, the inventory of unsold deluxe homes – in the Rs. 2.50-crore plus range – has shot up by 36 pc in Q1, first time since 2022.

 

The figures are startling – 8,420 units remain unsold in Mumbai compared with 6,180 units during the Q1 2024-end – a first since 2022 when unsold luxury housing stock saw an annual increase.

 

In contrast, the sales of various categories of budget houses, sub-2.50 cr, notched a significant increase of 6 pc from Jan-May 2025 – a record 64,461 properties registered, compared with 60,818 during the same period in 2024.

 

ANAROCK Group Chairman Anuj Puri attributed it to several factors including considerable new unit additions in the luxury sector - 16,480 (2024) plus 5,294 (2025).

 

“While demand for these homes continues to remain strong, skyrocketing prices and headwinds like global economic slowdown have hit the sales of these homes in the past one year,” Puri pointed out.

 

He added that in Q1-2023 high-end unsold stocks in Mumbai declined by 29 pc – from 18,340 units (Q1 2022-end) to nearly 13,040 units (Q1 2023-end), and by Q1 2024-end, the unsold luxury stocks fell by a significant 53 pc to around 6,180 units.

 

Adding colour to a gloomy scenario is the boom in the budget homes category which notched an unprecedented 64,461 property registrations in Mumbai from Jan-May, 2025 – against 60,818 registrations during the same period in 2024, as per data of the Inspector General of Registrations.

 

The average ticket prices of these properties stood at Rs 1.59 cr, the highest since 2019, and in 2021, the average prices of properties sold was the lowest at Rs 1.02 crore. The government mopped up a handsome Rs 5,695 crore from Jan-May 2025 (against Rs. 4,860 in Jan-May 2024), a 17 pc annual jump.

 

ANAROCK research found that in Q1-2025, as many as 21,930 units were sold in Mumbai which was 28 pc lower than the sales witnessed in Q1-2024.

 

A key factor behind the surge in property registrations from Jan-May 2025 is credited to the 3.9 pc hike in Maharashtra's ready reckoner rates for FY26.

 

Real estate experts-speak:

Realtor Nitin Sunderji Shah, Partner, Shri Om Sai Developers said that luxury home buyers prefer mega-housing complexes with extra amenities like swimming pool-club houses, etc.

 

“They shun stand-alone buildings, especially if they are the redeveloped category owing to ‘status disparity’. Some discerning buyers prefer row-houses, independent bungalows in large complexes, so many luxury units are languishing,” Shah told The Perfect Voice.

 

Realty consultant R. K. Kamble said that besides the usual factors, people have no savings for property investments, the hiccups witnessed in the stock markets, the prices of gold, the current political situation, etc., which weigh on public sentiments, particularly in the middle-upper segments.

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