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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.

Nagpur violence: HC stays demolition of houses of two accused, raps admin for high-handedness

  • PTI
  • Mar 24, 2025
  • 2 min read


Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday ordered a stay on the demolition of the houses of two accused, including Fahim Khan, in the violence case, rapping the administration for "high-handedness".


While Khan's two-storey house was razed before the high court passed the order in the afternoon, authorities halted the demolition of the illegal portions of the other accused Yusuf Sheikh's house following the court's directive.

The duo had moved the high court on Monday against the demolition seeking an urgent hearing.


A division bench of Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi heard the pleas.

The bench questioned why the owners of the houses were not given a hearing before demolishing alleged illegal portions.

The action was taken in a high-handedness manner, without giving a hearing to the owners of the property, the bench noted.


Advocate Ashwin Ingole, appearing for Khan, said the court has sought a response from the government and civic authorities and posted the matter for further hearing on April 15.

The bench said if it comes to the conclusion that the demolition was carried out illegally then the authorities would have to pay for the damage caused, Ingole claimed.


Amid heavy police security, civic authorities on Monday morning demolished Khan's house for unauthorised construction.

Authorities had started removing an illegally constructed portion of Yusuf Sheikh's house in Mahal area, the epicentre of the March 17 violence.


Fahim Khan, a leader of the Minority Democratic Party (MDP), was booked for sedition. He is among over 100 persons arrested for the violence.


A few days back, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation had issued a notice to Khan, citing various lapses and the lack of the building plan approval (for his house), sources said.

At around 10.30 am on Monday, three JCB machines of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation started demolishing his house, located at Sanjay Bagh Colony in Yashodhara Nagar area here, amid heavy security and drone surveillance in the entire area.


The house, registered in the name of Khan's mother, was located on a plot of Nagpur Improvement Trust (Lease) and the lease ended in 2020, a civic official said.


There was no sanction plan for the building and the entire construction was unauthorised, the official said, adding the action was being taken under the MRTP Act.


A notice of demolition was given 24 hours prior to the action, the official said.

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