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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: Feb 24, 2025

The Mahayuti government, which secured a landslide victory in Maharashtra’s 2024 Assembly elections, is now at risk of squandering its hard-earned mandate. With 230 out of 288 seats under its belt, it promised stability and reform. Instead, its cabinet is now mired in allegations of corruption and fraud. The conviction of Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and the damning accusations against Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde, both leaders of the ruling Ajit Pawar-led NCP, have put the government in an embarrassing bind. If Mahayuti is serious about preserving its credibility, CM Devendra Fadnavis must expel both NCP leaders from the cabinet.


Kokate’s conviction is especially damning. A Nashik district court found him guilty of forging documents to illegally acquire two flats under the chief minister’s discretionary quota nearly 30 years ago. Along with his brother, he falsified records to pose as a low-income applicant. Such an act of deceit encapsulates the very rot in India’s political culture. Though he secured bail within hours and has vowed to appeal, the conviction stands. The law is clear that any public representative sentenced to two years or more in prison is ineligible to remain in office. The moral and legal imperative to remove him is unambiguous. For what message does it send if a government that promised to uphold the rule of law harbours a convicted fraudster in its ranks?


Kokate’s flippant remarks about Re 1 crop insurance scheme, likening it to alms that even beggars would refuse, angered farmers across the state. The scheme itself has been tainted by allegations of fraud, with over 400,000 applications rejected for suspected irregularities. Kokate’s failure to address these concerns meaningfully only deepened suspicions of mismanagement.


Then there is Dhananjay Munde, whose tenure as minister has been marred by the Beed sarpanch murder case. If the government cannot muster the will to remove a disgraced former minister, it risks reinforcing the opposition’s narrative that it is a syndicate of corrupt politicians rather than a coalition committed to governance.


The Congress has seized upon these scandals, with its state president, Harshwardhan Sapkal, leading the charge for Kokate and Munde’s ouster. His attacks, however opportunistic, are not without merit. The BJP, which has long fashioned itself as a crusader against corruption, now appears hesitant to clean its own house. If Mahayuti wishes to maintain its moral high ground, it cannot afford to ignore these transgressions. Maharashtra is a political bellwether state, and the 2024 Assembly election victory was a testament to the voters’ trust in the Mahayuti’s leadership. But trust is fragile. If the Mahayuti wishes to avoid irreparable reputational damage, it must act decisively and expel Kokate and Munde. A government that tolerates corruption soon becomes indistinguishable from those it once opposed. The choice before Fadnavis is clear: stand by tainted ministers and risk eroding the public’s faith, or cut them loose and reinforce his administration’s commitment to accountability. If the BJP and its allies fail to act decisively, their resounding mandate may quickly turn into an albatross.

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