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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.

Textile Loses Sheen

Updated: Nov 15, 2024

Textile Loses Sheen

The strike led by Dr. Datta Samant involved 2,47,189 Mumbai mill workers and brought the city to a standstill. The 1982-83 strike was the last industrial action by the Mumbai mill workers when the city witnessed an industry-wide strike bringing the workforce to the centre of politics. The Textile Strike of 1982 is a watershed moment in India’s labour history. It was one of India’s longest strikes involving more than 200,000 workers who collectively stopped work for more than eighteen months. Regarded as one of the longest industrial strikes in history – it lasted over a year and was, technically, never withdrawn – rendered thousands of workers jobless, thanks to an adamant stand taken by their union led by a doctor-turned-trade-union-leader named Datta Samant as well as mill owners, and the Central and state governments.


In the later part of the 19th century, Mumbai textile industry grew significantly contributing to Maharashtra’s prosperity. There were about 130 textile mills which contributed to the growth of the textile and cotton industry. It covered an area of almost 600 acres of Mumbai island. In 1982, due to a major strike of 18 months, the mills were permanently closed and brought down the closure of the struggling industry. In this backdrop the Maharashtra government came out with a new policy on textile units. The Department of Textile of the state government comes under the aegis of Cooperation, Marketing, and Textile Department and is responsible for the development and promotion of the textile industry in the State. The Department plays a significant role in implementing schemes and programs that have helped improve the quality of textile products in Maharashtra and create employment opportunities in the industry. As per the decision, the Department is committed to further developing the textile industry in Maharashtra with a strong presence of both traditional and modern textile sub-sectors and aims to make the state a global hub for textiles.


The aim of the policy was to attract entrepreneurs in the entire value chain, besides seeing that existing units do not migrate to other major cotton-growing states. Over and above the Centre’s textile package, the technology upgradation fund scheme and other incentives, all major growing states have introduced their own textile policies to attract investment.


The governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have announced a number of incentives for textile units. Maharashtra saw the migration of all types of business units in the sector. Considering this reality the government introduced this policy.


In the last 15 years some units started operating in different parts of the state. Unfortunately, many units had closed down before this policy which ran from 2018-2023, hardly any expansions in the state were going to other states, all the cotton produced in the state was going outside.

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