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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.

Opposition slams PM Narendra Modi over ‘puncture repair’ comment on Muslims, Waqf properties



Opposition leaders have strongly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a recent comment suggesting that young Muslims wouldn’t have to repair punctures for a living if Waqf properties—land and assets meant for religious or charitable use under Islamic law—had been used honestly.


Speaking at the inauguration of an airport in Hisar, Haryana, on Sunday, PM Modi said that lakhs of hectares of Waqf land had been misused. “If Waqf properties had been used honestly, Muslim youths wouldn’t need to earn their livelihood by repairing bicycle punctures. Only a few land mafias benefited from these properties. These mafias were grabbing land belonging to Dalits, backward communities, and widows,” he said. He added that changes made to the Waqf law would address this issue.


AIMIM leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi hit back, saying, “If the RSS had used its ideology and resources in the country’s interest, you wouldn’t have had to sell tea in your childhood.” He questioned what the Prime Minister had done for the poor—both Hindus and Muslims—during his 11 years in office. Owaisi added that the root problem was that Waqf laws had always been weak and argued that the recent amendments would only make them weaker.


Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi said the Prime Minister's comment about Muslims repairing punctures was the kind of language often used by online trolls. “Such remarks don’t suit the Prime Minister. It is your government that has pushed the youth into a situation where there are no jobs, and people are left with no option but to repair punctures or sell fritters,” he said.


“Muslims don’t just make punctures. I could list many of their contributions, but this is not the time. You accuse Congress of supporting Muslims—do you hate them? If not, why did you sideline leaders like Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Shahnawaz Hussain, MJ Akbar, and Zafar Islam?” he asked.


He also criticised the government for claiming to support Muslims while not having a single Muslim MP in the Lok Sabha to present the Waqf Bill. “You talk about the rights of Muslim women, but there is no Muslim woman in your party in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, or any state Assembly,” he added.


Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also questioned the Prime Minister, asking why he didn’t pay tribute to Dr BR Ambedkar—chief architect of the Constitution—on his birth anniversary in Parliament. In response to PM Modi’s jibe about Congress not appointing a Muslim party chief, Shrinate asked why the BJP doesn’t have a Dalit Chief Minister.


The Prime Minister had accused the Congress of appeasement politics, saying it harmed Muslims. “Congress only made a few fundamentalists happy, while the rest of the Muslim community remained poor and uneducated. The Waqf law is proof of that wrong approach,” he said.


The Waqf Amendment Bill, which passed Parliament earlier this month and is now an Act, was opposed by Congress and other Opposition parties. They claim the government is targeting minority communities and aiming to control Waqf properties. The BJP, on the other hand, says the amendments are necessary for better and more transparent management of Waqf assets.

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