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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.

MVA clamour: Sack ‘insensitive’ Kokate

Mumbai: The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) again targeted Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate for his ‘insensitive’ comments against farmers and asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to sack him.

 

Maharashtra Congress President Harshawardhan Sapkal, Congress Legislative Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’ farmer face Kishore Tiwari and others sought to know if Kokate was doing a ‘favour’ by giving aid to farmers from public funds.

 

“The ruling Mahayuti does not miss a single opportunity to deride the farmers who feed the people, and Kokate is so smitten with power and he keeps insulting the peasants constantly. First, he labelled them as ‘beggars’, now he accuses them of spending their loan waiver money on children’s engagements or weddings. He should be expelled from the cabinet,” demanded Sapkal.

 

Wadettiwar pointed out how unseasonal rains have damaged/destroyed crops of tur, grapes, onions and vegetables in Vidarbha and Maharashtra, but instead of rushing to aid the farmers, Kokate is maligning them in the time of need.

 

“Instead of sympathizing or understanding the farmers’ woes the Mahayuti ministers are adopting a hostile stance against them. The government has left the tillers in the lurch as the ruling alliance ministers feel that no one can touch them as they have won (the Assembly elections) with a majority,” said Wadettiwar sharply.

 

Tiwari alleged that the state government has thrown the concerns of the farmers and commoners to winds, while exhorting the authorities to conduct ‘panchnama’ of the affected farmlands and rush aid on priority.

 

“Since the Mahayuti  secured a brute majority, they have distanced themselves from the masses and want them to suffer, or let the farmers commit suicide, we shall not bother. If Kokate is not dismissed, the farmers will not allow him to move around in Vidarbha,” warned Tiwari.

 

Sapkal asserted how the Mahayuti’s poll promises to write off farmland debts remains unfulfilled and also remains uncertain now as the government is giving excuses that it has no funds for the loan waivers.

 

“When the government helps farmers, it is with public money and not Kokate’s private family resources. If the government’s policies had been in the interests of the tillers, they would not have depended on such aid from an anti-farmer regime that keeps slighting them frequently,” said Sapkal.

 

The state Congress chief said that when the Centre had written off bad loans worth Rs 16-lakh crore of a few industrialists, neither the Mahayuti nor Kokate had the guts to question it – an obvious reference to a report by The Perfect Voice (Jan. 23).

 

Recently, Fadnavis had instructed his cabinet team to be courteous while speaking in public, but the manner in which the ministers speak ‘nonsense’ indicates that they do not respect the CM, averred Sapkal.

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