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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.

Tainted Governance

Updated: Jan 2, 2025

The shocking murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, has triggered a political firestorm that has put the ruling Mahayuti coalition led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in a precarious position. Beyond the tragedy itself, the political reverberations of the incident threaten to derail the goodwill the Mahayuti gained from its commanding victory in the November assembly elections.


The facts are grim. Deshmukh, a grassroots leader known for his fight against corruption, was allegedly abducted and brutally killed after intervening in an extortion attempt at a wind power plant in his village. While the police have arrested four suspects, the alleged mastermind, Valmik Karad, is a close associate of NCP leader and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde. The opposition claims the government is shielding Karad, who has yet to be named an accused. This accusation has turned a heinous crime into a political flashpoint.


The Congress and other opposition parties have demanded Munde’s ouster from the cabinet until the investigation is complete, arguing that his continued presence undermines the credibility of the probe. Even some members of the ruling alliance have voiced their anger and demanded Karad’s arrest.


Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, has ordered a judicial inquiry and vowed that no one, however influential, will escape justice. But his assurances ring hollow as protests swell across the state. Public outrage is palpable. Over 28,000 gram panchayats in Maharashtra are set to observe a bandh on January 9, calling for swift justice and stricter laws to protect rural leaders.


Munde’s alleged links to Karad are the most contentious issue here. Keeping him in the cabinet risks eroding the Mahayuti’s credibility, especially given the minister’s influence in Beed. The Mahayuti’s decisive victory in November gave it a mandate to govern with integrity and efficiency. However, the goodwill it enjoys is not infinite. By failing to act decisively, the government risks squandering the public trust it has earned.


Fadnavis has an opportunity to set a precedent. Known for his administrative acumen, he must act swiftly to safeguard his government’s credibility. Allowing Munde to remain in the cabinet sends the wrong message, implying that political alliances trump justice. By dropping Munde from the cabinet until the probe concludes, Fadnavis could demonstrate that no individual, however influential, is above the law. Failure to do so could leave the coalition vulnerable to accusations of complicity and incompetence.


The sarpanch’s murder is not just a law-and-order failure but a litmus test for the Mahayuti’s governance. If the coalition fails to act decisively, it risks losing the trust of the very voters who propelled it to power. Justice for Deshmukh is not merely a legal issue but a moral obligation, and the Mahayuti must rise to meet it. Anything less would be a betrayal of the people’s trust and a blight on the state’s political landscape.

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