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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.

Terror ‘leaks’ via western borders since 2004

A security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Pic: PTI
A security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Pic: PTI

Mumbai/Pune: For over two decades, terrorism is believed to ‘leak’ into India from the western borders with Pakistan, although a whopping 42 militant groups, including the Lashkar-E-Taiba, are banned but remain active in the country, as per a RTI response.

 

While the maximum number of terrorists were eliminated during the previous Congress-led UPA regime (2004-2014), the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA (2014 onwards) succeeded in curbing border terrorism, but major incidents keep happening.

 

The details of the terror strikes that occurred in India from 2004-2022 were provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs CPIO (Jammu & Kashmir) Kabiraj Sabar, to Pune RTI activist Prafful Sarda.

 

The stark statistics reveal that during the 10-year-rule of UPA led by ex-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, there were 9,321 terror strikes with 4,005 terrorists killed and another 878 nabbed.

Under the NDA’s regime from 2014 till Aug. 2022 (around eight years) headed by PM Narendra Modi, there were 2,132 terror incidents with 1,538 extremists eliminated and 1,432 arrested.

 

These add up to a staggering 11,453 terror strikes, 5,543 terrorists killed and 2,310 extremists arrested by the Indian Army and other security forces, said Sarda.

 

Sarda said that the figures - purportedly pertaining to only Jammu & Kashmir region - are shocking and indicate the sheer vulnerability of the country's western borders.

 

However, details of terror incidents on the northern and north-eastern borders were not provided in the RTI reply.

 

“The highest number of terrorists were killed by the Indian Army and security forces who encountered the most terror strikes during the UPA government. Admittedly, after the 'surgical strike' (Oct 2016), the BJP regime apparently succeeded in crushing the terror backbone as attacks and killings dropped,” Sarda said.

 

“The armed forces' valour vis-à-vis radicals in the past two decades is salute-worthy. After the numbing hit in Pahalgam, they will need to hound and gun down the desperadoes who may be prowling around on the western borders,” said Sarda.

 

Despite the past glorious successes, incidents like Pahalgam - which specifically targeted tourists with a religious angle emerging - pose bigger challenges both to the security forces and the current government, he averred.

  

Terror dashboard in UPA government (2004-2014):

2004 - 2,565 incidents and 976 killed;

2005 - 1,990 attacks and 917 eliminated;

2006 - 1,667 incidents and 591 neutralised;

2007 - 1,092 attacks and 472 killed;

2008 - 708 incidents, 339 eliminated and 305 arrests;

2009 - 499 attacks, 239 neutralised and 187 nabbed;

2010 - 368 incidents, 232 killed and 155 nabbed;

2011 - 195 attacks, 100 eliminated and 145 nabbed;

2012 - 124 incidents, 72 neutralised and 150 arrested;

2013 - 113 attacks, 67 killed and 86 nabbed.


Extremist dashboard in NDA regime (2014-2022):

2014 - 151 strikes, 110 killed, 70 nabbed;

2015 - 143 incidents, 108 eliminated and 67 nabbed;

2016 - 223 strikes, 150 neutralised and 79 arrested;

2017 - 279 incidents, 213 killed and 97 arrested;

2018 - 417 strikes, 257 eliminated and 105 nabbed;

2019 - 255 incidents, 157 neutralised and 115 arrested;

2020 - 244 strikes, 221 killed and 328 arrests;

2021 - 229 incidents, 180 eliminated and 311 nabbed;

2022 (till August) - 191 strikes, 142 killed and 260 nabbed.

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