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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’s ‘Problem Child’ in Marathwada

Updated: Nov 12, 2024

Marathwada

There is perhaps no more volatile Assembly segment in Marathwada ahead of the November 20 polls than in Sillod, where the schisms within the ruling Mahayuti coalition are at its peak.


The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has drawn a significant line with the local unit declaring that it will not campaign for its ally Abdul Sattar, a senior minister of Eknath Shinde’s ruling Shiv Sena candidate, who is seeking re-election from Sillod (in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district) for a fourth time.


Sattar, currently the state’s Minister for Minorities Development, has long been a polarising figure. Kamlesh Kataria, the city BJP president, accused Sattar of actively working to finish the BJP’s presence in Sillod and was allegedly threatening its workers. Kataria has accused Sattar of working against the BJP’s interests despite the two parties being allies by citing Sattar’s support for Congress candidate Kalyan Kale in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which led to BJP stalwart Raosaheb Danve’s defeated in nearby Jalna constituency.


Originally elected as a Congress candidate in 2009 and 2014, Sattar had joined the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, where he again emerged victorious. Post the Sena split, he aligned himself with the ruling Shinde faction.


The discontent with Sattar goes beyond electoral calculations. His personal brand of politics has become a liability, both within his party and beyond. His comments and actions have drawn ire from various quarters. More recently, his involvement in a teacher eligibility test (TET) scam, in which his daughters were named, has further tarnished his reputation. The scam, which involved the inflating of exam marks and the distribution of fake certificates, has added another layer of controversy to his already volatile political persona. Earlier, his provocative language against prominent leaders, including NCP’s Supriya Sule, triggered widespread protests.


The growing resentment among BJP workers in the region has paved the way for his arch rival, Suresh Bankar, to seize the day in a bid to settle scores with the Sena leader.


Bankar, a former BJP state secretary with deep ties to the disgruntled wing of the party, has now joined the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and will be facing Sattar on November 20.


Bankar, who has clashed with Sattar before, has accused him of manipulating voter rolls in Sillod, alleging that the names of supporters from outside the constituency were fraudulently registered to boost Sattar’s chances in previous elections.


For Sattar, this is merely the latest chapter in a series of controversies that have dogged his career. His combative approach to politics - often marked by inflammatory rhetoric and allegations of misconduct -has put him at odds with allies and rivals alike. While he remains a key player in the Shinde faction in this region, the BJP’s public repudiation of his candidacy signals a formidable challenge for him in the coming contest.


The BJP’s decision not to support Sattar will have far-reaching implications for the minister, given that Bankar and the local BJP unit will actively conspire to pull him down. Can the abrasive Sattar maintain his political footing on Sillod’s slippery wicket?

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