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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.

Power Bill An Issue

Power Bill An Issue

India’s agriculture sector is heavily dependent on monsoons for natural irrigation. Pumps are used as an artificial means to provide water for farms and plants. Farmers rely on grid electricity or diesel gen-sets to run the pump, which leads to huge delays and economic stress. Hence, for our farmers, an effective irrigation system such as the Solar Water Pump is a great boon. It increases their crop yield by ensuring a reliable and perennial supply of water to their fields. To overcome all the hurdles and combat the pollution, the Maharashtra government took the decision to replace diesel pumps with solar pumps.


After the lengthy discussions, the state government decided to go ahead with this new scheme. The proper strategy was worked out that will also reduce the subsidy burden on electricity bills. The Maharashtra government will distribute 25,000 sun pumps in the first phase of the Atal Solar Agriculture Pump Scheme, 50,000 solar pumps in the second phase, and 25,000 solar pumps in the third phase to farmers to meet their irrigation demands. The state government has set a target to distribute a total of 1,00,000 pumps to farmers over the two years. This initiative aims to provide sustainable energy solutions and promote environmentally friendly farming practices. A solar water pump is an application of photovoltaic technology which converts solar energy into electricity to run the pumping system thereby, replacing erratic grid supply and pollution-causing diesel-powered versions. The solar water pump is powered by solar modules that help draw surface or groundwater out for irrigation.


The Maharashtra Solar Pump Yojana offers various benefits to eligible farmers. Approved applicants will receive a subsidy for solar water pumps, enabling them to utilize renewable energy for irrigation. The scheme details the eligibility criteria which requires certain documents, and the step-by-step process to apply online. This will benefit the farmers as well as the other electricity consumers in many ways like day time power availability for agriculture pumping, decoupling the irrigation sector from power subsidy burden, minimizing cross subsidy burden on Commercial & Industrial electricity consumers, replacement of diesel pumps to reduce pollution.


Farmers having farmland with assured sources of water are eligible. However, the farmers having conventional Electricity connection shall not get the benefit of Solar AG Pump from this scheme. Farmers from areas which are not electrified through conventional sources of energy (by MSEDCL) will get the benefit of this scheme.


Farmers from Remote & Tribal areas can also participate in this scheme. The government has aimed to provide solar water pumps on subsidy basis for agriculture in the state. The government has a vision for ensuring that farmers get water for agriculture even when power is not present in the areas. Solar Pump Kusum Yojana is the much-hyped scheme of the government of Maharashtra.

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