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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.

Mahayuti meeting put off; Govt formation delayed

Updated: Dec 2, 2024

Shinde heads to his village; Uday Samant says he is unwell not upset

Govt formation delayed
Govt formation delayed

Mumbai: A key Mahayuti meeting scheduled on Friday was put off and likely to take place on Sunday now as outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde headed to his native village, delaying government formation a week after poll results.


The ruling alliance's meeting was expected to be convened in Mumbai on Sunday, said sources in the Shiv Sena, which is headed by Shinde.


Leaders of the BJP, the largest Mahayuti constituent, said they were awaiting arrival of central observers for the legislature party meeting.


The swearing-in of the new government is expected to take place next week, the sources said.


Shinde, speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Thursday night, had said talks with Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on government formation were positive and the next round of discussions will be held in Mumbai on Friday.


However, BJP sources maintained no gathering of Mahayuti leaders was scheduled for Friday.


During his Delhi trip, Shinde had met Shah and discussed formation of the next government in the state. His deputies in the outgoing state cabinet Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) had also met the senior BJP leader.


Shinde returned to Mumbai on Friday morning and according to Shiv Sena sources, he left for his native village Dare in Satara district in western Maharashtra in the evening.


Shinde was at the Chief Minister's official residence 'Varsha' in South Mumbai where he met a stream of visitors, including party leaders and MLAs.

The Shiv Sena leader has repeatedly said he would not be an obstacle in the government formation and abide by the decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah on the next chief minister.


Different viewpoints are emerging in the Shiv Sena over Shinde's place in the next government after the BJP-led Mahayuti posted a thumping win in the just-held assembly polls.


Many leaders in the Shiv Sena are asking Shinde to accept deputy CM's post if offered by the BJP. However, another section feels it wouldn't be right for him to accept No. 2 position after serving as CM for more than two-and-a-half years, the sources said.


BJP MLAs haven't got any intimation about a legislature party meeting, where they will elect their leader.


Fadnavis also returned to Mumbai on Friday after meeting Shah in Delhi over government formation.


State BJP leaders held informal discussions and sources said the state unit was awaiting arrival of central observers.


Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar had also met BJP president J P Nadda and Shah on late Thursday to thrash out a power-sharing pact for the next government in Maharashtra.


In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat said if Shinde doesn't accept the deputy CM's post in the new government, then it will be given to someone from their party.


Talking to reporters, Shirsat said Shinde will certainly not go to the Centre as a Union minister.


"If Shinde does not accept the deputy CM's post, then some other leader from our party will get it. He (Shinde) will take a call on this by evening,” said Shirsat, who retained his Aurangabad assembly West seat.


Shirsat's party colleague Shamburaj Desai said their MLA-elects and party workers strongly feel that Shinde should be a part of the new government.

Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said he hoped that if Fadnavis returns as chief minister, he will erase the tag of doing "politics of revenge" he had been associated with.


"He will have a free hand (as CM) as crutches will be dependent on him and not vice-versa. I hope (as CM) he works for Vidarbha as he is son of the soil (Fadnavis is an MLA from Nagpur)," he said.


"Politics is an ideological fight and not a personal battle," the Congress leader asserted.

-With PTI

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