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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.

Malnutrition the Problem

Malnutrition

To curb the infant mortality rate and reduce the percentage of malnutrition, the Maharashtra government took a decision for the newborns. The state government will distribute ‘Chief Minister baby care kits’ to the infants born in government hospitals and Public Health Centers (PHC’s) in the state. The intention behind the somewhat less publicised scheme is good but lets see how it travels across the state.


The Department of women and child development has claimed that out of the 20 lakh pregnant women (8 lakh in urban areas & 12 lakh in rural areas) who give birth annually, only 50 percent of such women get their names registered in the state health care centres and government hospitals. Moreover, around 4 lakh are first time mothers. As per this new Baby Care Kit Scheme, mothers of new born babies would be provided with baby care kits to encourage them to give birth to their child in hospitals. This would ensure that the children gets mother’s milk and proper nourishment. Such a scheme is operating in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana and it has shown good results in those states. This scheme in Maharashtra will ensure that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is reduced in the state. The Department has made the provision of Rs. 80 crore to provide the kits under this Scheme.


The kits will be distributed to all the women by the state government after their first delivery. The Chief Minister baby care kits will be distributed to pregnant and lactating mothers. The scheme is being implemented through the integrated child development services project and health department. The prime motive is to decrease the infant mortality rate. According to senior officials of the department many times, the newborn babies are placed on the floor in the tribal areas. Due to this the babies fell ill for want of warmth. So in order to take care of these infants, the Anganwadi Sevikas and other health employees are giving training to the mothers. At the same time providing warmth to the Infant and keeping them neat and tidy is also necessary and inevitable. So it was decided to give some items required to the mother and the newborn babies.


Considering all the requirements the Baby Care Kit is designed. This comprises baby clothes, a Small bed, towel, plastic diaper (Nappies), body massage oil, thermometer, mosquito net, woollen blanket, shampoo, nail cutter, hand gloves, socks, body wash liquid, hand sanitizer, woollen clothes for mother and small toys. The items in the kit which would cost around Rs. 2,000 in the market. For this scheme, the government has sanctioned Rs 20 crore in the first phase and the provision will be increased in the near future. This scheme will be implemented in the entire state for all the sections of the society. These kits are to be distributed free of charge for all the mothers who will be giving birth to the babies in government Primary Health Centre and government hospitals.

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