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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.

NEET aspirant from Delhi found dead in Kota refused to sit for May 4 exam, wanted 1 more year

  • PTI
  • Apr 26, 2025
  • 2 min read


KOTA: Ranjit Sharma, a carpenter in Delhi's Tuglakabad, sobbed uncontrollably outside the mortuary of a hospital here as he waited to claim his son's body. The man and his wife had been in the city just a few days ago to take his NEET-aspirant son back home, but he had refused.


According to the parents, Roshan Sharma (23) had abruptly told them just a few weeks before the May 4 NEET-UG exam that he would not appear for it this year.


Just three days after they had left for Delhi, the body of their son was retrieved from the bushes near a railway track here early on Thursday with a preliminary police probe indicating that he had consumed a poisonous substance.


In between sobs, Ranjit Sharma said his son had been preparing for NEET for the past three years and had recently confided with his sister that he needed another year to get fully ready for the prestigious medical entrance exam.


"Our son was studious, scoring 550-600 marks in routine tests at the coaching institute," he claimed on Friday, struggling to wrap around his head the reason for the suicide just days before the exam. The perfect score for the NEET-UG exam is 720.


This is the 12th case of suspected student suicide since January in the city, considered the country's hub for competitive exam coaching. Last year, the city reported 17 suicides by aspirants.


According to Roshan's parents, he had himself decided to join a coaching institute in Kota and jumped to another institute in the city just after a year.


Ranjit Sharma told that they came to Kota on April 22 to take their son back to home, but he refused. When their son couldn't be found in his hostel they contacted him over phone, only to be told that neither would he sit for the NEET exam this year nor return home.


They returned home with his belongings, hoping he would follow them. When that didn't happen, the distraught parents kept calling their son, urging him to return home. Roshan had also shared with his sister over the phone that he wanted a year more to prepare for NEET, he added.


The police handed over Roshan's body to the family after post-mortem on Friday and lodged a case under section BNSS Section 194 (A) (enquiry on suicide) for investigation, Circle Inspector at Kunhadi police station Arvind Bhardwaj said.


The parents have not levelled any allegation, he added.


This was the second case of suspected suicide reported within 48 hours in the coaching city which has been under critical lens for the past few years for high rates of suicides among competitive exam aspirants, often attributed to them not coping well with the pressure of studies and high expectations from their families.


On April 22, an 18-year-old NEET aspirant from Bihar allegedly hanged himself to death in his hostel room. In a note, the student said neither his family nor his preparation for NEET-UG was the reason behind his extreme step, police had said.

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