top of page

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.

New Vanguards

In a stunning turnaround, the ruling Mahayuti coalition rebounded from its Lok Sabha poll debacle to sweep the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, capturing an astounding 230 of the 288 seats to thoroughly decimate the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). For a state known for its fractious politics, the results signal not just a decisive mandate but also the emergence of fresh leadership across the political spectrum. The victory has redefined the contours of Maharashtra’s power dynamics, with Eknath Shinde shedding his image as a mere adjunct to the BJP and firmly establishing himself as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena legacy.


Shinde’s performance has been transformational. Once derided as a ‘BJP puppet,’ he led his faction of the Shiv Sena with humility and grit, securing a tally that the combined might of the MVA could not rival. Since the Shiv Sena split in 2022, Shinde, with his performance, has now laid an unassailable claim to Bal Thackeray’s political legacy. In contrast, the results indicate a fast fadeout for Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray Uddhav. His son Aaditya Thackeray, who managed to retain the Worli seat, will now have to shoulder the unenviable task of reviving a diminished Sena (UBT).


The election also settled the long-standing question of who controls the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Ajit Pawar, split the party founded by his uncle Sharad Pawar, delivered a commanding performance, dominating the sugar belt and securing 41 seats. His emphatic victory in Baramati against his own nephew Yugendra Pawar, underscored the erosion of Sharad Pawar’s stranglehold over the sugar heartland. The elder Pawar’s lament over the decline of ideological commitment in state politics now rings hollow in the face of this electoral drubbing.


On the opposition benches, the MVA’s collapse was dramatic. The Congress, long plagued by complacency and poor leadership, now faces a leadership vacuum after stalwarts like Prithviraj Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat biting the electoral dust. However, this setback could be an opportunity for the Congress to rebuild under younger leaders like Vishwajeet Kadam. Similarly, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) may see Jayant Patil, who won the Islampur seat for the eight time, emerge as the party leader following his victory, though the party’s dismal overall performance suggests a long road to recovery.


The BJP’s remarkable performance was clearly the engine of the Mahayuti’s comeback with Devendra Fadnavis cementing his status as Maharashtra’s political heavyweight. Fadnavis, often likened to a modern-day Chanakya, proven his mettle after being nearly written-off following the party’s Lok Sabha debacle.


The Mahayuti’s resounding victory has created a political vacuum in the opposition, raising questions about the state’s democratic checks and balances. Yet, it also signals an opportunity for new leadership to emerge and chart a path forward. Maharashtra’s electorate has placed its faith in promises of development and governance. Delivering on these expectations will be the ultimate test of Mahayuti's triumph.

Comments

bottom of page