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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.

NCP (SP) banks on Awhad for Muslim outreach

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

Jitendra Awhad has won Mumbra, a seat with a majority Muslim population, since 2009 but is now facing a challenge from his own former colleague


Awhad

Mumbai: When Sharad Pawar joined a mega procession to accompany Jitendra Awhad for filing his nomination form, it was a signal to the cadre and the electorate---that Awhad had the full support and backing of the party and of Pawar, in particular. It was also a repeat of 2019 when the president of the undivided NCP was present alongside Awhad as he filed his nomination. This year, the symbolism of the gesture is even more. Especially since Awhad’s constituency Mumbra-Kalwa falls in Thane, the home district of Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde. And opposing Awhad is his former party colleague Najeeb Mulla who represents Ajit Pawar’s NCP.


It’s no secret that Awhad is favoured by his party leadership for his fiery ways and his success is winning the Mumbra constituency for his party since 2009. Once a student activist who had famously protested against a hike in college tuition fees in 1982, the MLA from Mumbra is fiesty, outspoken and blunt. He doesn’t shy away from controversies and enjoys a close rapport and unrestricted access to his party boss, Pawar. He’s among those who stayed loyal even when the party split in 2023.


While the party says that Pawar’s presence at the large procession is a way of acknowledging and appreciating the “nishthavant” leaders of the party, Awhad also represents the NCP (SP)’s outreach and support to the Muslim community, having represented Mumbra-Kalwa three times in the state assembly. The constituency has been held by the NCP since 2009 and is believed to have a 75 per cent Muslim population and political analysts say that they key to winning this seat is to have a leader who enjoys the Muslim and the Marathi vote. Which Awhad has proved for over 15 years now.


In 2014, Awhad polled more than 86000 votes which was greater than the collective tally of all 16 of his opponents. A few months before the elections, Pawar had spent an entire day in that constituency, meeting and energising the party cadre and inaugurating infrastructure development and beautification projects that were conceptualised by Awhad.


Apart from development works, Awhad is known for his blunt statements and vociferous support to the local community. Just before the opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he courted controversy by stating that Lord Ram ate beef.


This year, he challenged the Ghaziabad police to prove their claims that more than 400 children were being forcibly converted to Islam through gaming apps and the mastermind of the racket was allegedly in Mumbra. “Jitendra Awhad is a tireless voice for protecting the secular fabric of our state and our nation. When an elderly Muslim man was beaten up on a train to Mumbai on suspicions of carrying beef, it was his intervention that ensured the Railway Police cancelled the bail of the accused and charged them under mob lynching sections,” says Anish Gawande, national spokesperson of the NCP (SP).


It is said that until now, Shinde and Awhad had a tacit understanding for this constituency which falls under Shrikant Shinde’s Lok Sabha seat. But the Shinde-led Mahayuti is now on a mission to unseat Awhad and capture control of this constituency. Shinde is believed to have deputed several corporators and partymen to fan the area and drum up support. The contest also may not be a cakewalk with a former corporator and a Muslim leader fighting against Awhad.

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