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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.

Raj Thackeray’s Political Dance

Raj Thackeray

With Maharashtra’s Assembly elections looming, a political shuffle is taking shape in Mumbai. At a high-profile meeting held in a five-star Mumbai hotel on Monday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly held a closed-door discussion with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, reportedly over seat-sharing arrangements in key constituencies like Shivdi, Worli and Mahim.


Despite unconditionally backing the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha election, Raj had recently announced the MNS would contest the Assembly election on its own. However, there appears to be a tacit understanding that the Mahayuti parties, especially the Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP, would be strategically backing the MNS candidates in key Mumbai seats to defeat the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray, Raj’s estranged cousin.


Raj’s son, Amit Thackeray, is expected to make his political debut in Mahim, a constituency contested by MNS leader Nitin Sardesai in the past. One of Mahim’s neighbouring constituencies is Worli, where Uddhav’s son, Aaditya Thackeray, is expected to defend his seat. In September, Raj had held a rally in Worli, where he tried to rouse nativist sentiments by calling on the ‘sons of the soil’ to stand up for their fundamental rights.The rally had coincided with the unveiling of the MNS’s ‘Vision Worli’ a strategic move to ostensibly counter Aaditya Thackeray’s programme.


By supporting Raj indirectly, the Mahayuti hopes (as it always has) to use MNS as a tool to split the Marathi vote and weaken Uddhav’s Shiv Sena (UBT). 


Despite the MNS not having a single MLA or MP across Maharashtra, the BJP has always hoped to make use of Raj’s still extant Marathi-speaking vote-bank not just in Mumbai, but in Thane and Nashik to challenge the Sena (UBT) in wake of Muslim, Christian and Dalit voters gravitating towards Uddhav Thackeray since the latter’s alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar.


The MNS’ twin debacles in the 2014 parliamentary and Assembly elections left the party in utter disarray, with the slide continuing through the 2017 civic election as well as the 2019 State and national elections. Following its rout in the 2019 Assembly election, an atrophied MNS had changed its ideological direction from its nativist stance by veering towards Hindutva politics.


The MNS’ about-turns have compounded its woes. In 2014, Raj endorsed Prime Minister Modi, only to campaign fervently against him in the 2019 general elections, aligning himself with the NCP. Ahead of the Lok Sabha, he returned to giving unconditional support to Modi by campaigning for the Mahayuti. His constant political oscillations have caused confusion within his ranks.


That said, for Shinde and the BJP, having a Thackeray on their side, even tacitly, offers a symbolic boost in their battle with Uddhav for the supremacy of Mumbai.

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