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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.

Pahalgam terror attack: PM Modi must act strongly, not dilly dally, says Rahul Gandhi

  • PTI
  • May 1, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack must pay the price for what they have done and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must act strongly now and not dilly dally on the action.


Addressing the media at the AICC headquarters here, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said those behind the Pahalgam attack must also be made to realise they cannot do this to India.


He said the government has the opposition's 100 per cent support and Modi has to take action and not dilly-dally.


"The prime minister has to take action. Action has to be clear and strong. The prime minister must not dilly dally and needs to act. He can act in whatever time frame he thinks necessary," Gandhi said.


Noting that people have been killed in cold-blooded manner in Pahalgam and the prime minister should not waste time and should act now to tell them that India is not going to tolerate this kind of nonsense.


"People have been killed in a cold-blooded manner, and it is pretty clear who is responsible for this. The people who are responsible for this must pay the price. The Prime Minister must take decisive and strong action without delay or confusion," he said, noting that the action has to be clear and strong and without any confusion.


"The prime minister must not dilly-dally or waste time; instead, he should make it very clear that India is not going to tolerate this nonsense. He needs to act," Gandhi also said.


"He can act in whatever time-frame he thinks necessary but he needs to act soon. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and the prime minister should act firmly," he noted, and said the people who have done this need to pay a price.



Gandhi said those behind this attack have to pay for this and "they have to pay for it properly and not in some half-hearted way, so that they remember that they cannot do this with India."


He also asserted that the entire opposition is in support of the government and have said that what has happened is not acceptable.


The Congress MP also said he met the family of a victim of the Pahalgam attack in Kanpur and they want they should be given a martyr status.


"Today I met a victim's family in Kanpur. They asked me to send a message to Narendra Modi through you. On behalf of all those families, I want to say to the Prime Minister - 'Prime Minister, they have said that our children have been martyred.


We want you to give them the status of a martyr and give them respect'."

Gandhi visited the family members of Shubham Dwivedi in Kanpur, who was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, and said the opposition is demanding a special session of Parliament to ensure the victims get justice.


Earlier, Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had written to Modi, demanding a special session of Parliament in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

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