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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.

The IT Growth Continues

IT Growth

The Government policies play a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape of the state as well as the nation. Whether it’s fiscal, monetary, or from investment and consumption to employment. While the debate over the appropriate role of government in the economy persists, there’s a consensus on the positive impact well-designed policies can have on fostering economic growth. Here we will discuss government’s policy contributing to economic growth and creating opportunities of employment.


It is usually seen that the government policy gathers a lot of dust in Mantralaya due to rigid regulations and bureaucracy that hinder decision making and ultimately slows down the process. In this particular case it was a slightly different picture. Almost a year ago in a significant move to boost the state’s digital infrastructure, the Maharashtra government has approved the establishment of Green Integrated Data Centre Parks, with an expected investment of Rs 1.60 lakh crore. With this decision Maharashtra became the first state in India to introduce a special policy for Green Integrated Data Centre Parks, a sector that is attracting multinational corporations and global leaders. The project is expected to solidify the State’s position as a key player in the data centre industry. The initiative will not only strengthen Maharashtra’s data infrastructure, but also generate long-term revenue through direct and indirect taxes, following the completion of the promotion period. Furthermore, the project is set to create many jobs in both the categories, high-skilled jobs directly indirect jobs, especially in high-tech sectors.


Under this new policy, IT companies will have the freedom to establish tech parks anywhere within the state of Maharashtra. Additionally, the companies have been granted substantial subsidies, ranging from 50 to 100 percent on stamp duty, and electricity charges will be waived for a period of 10 to 15 years. So far, a total five projects have been given approval and five projects are under consideration before the Cabinet sub-committee. Through these projects, an investment of Rs 1.79 lakh crore will be made in the state and 60,000 jobs will be created. To provide additional support to the Green Integrated Data Centre Park initiative, the government has made amendments to the Information Technology and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Policy, 2023. The policy allows special incentives, alongside regular benefits, for setting up three Green Integrated Data Centre Parks, subject to the conditions outlined in the proposal.


With the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the demand for data storage and processing has surged, leading to increased energy consumption by data centres. This has raised concerns over global warming. In light of India’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070, green technology has become crucial for the future. Maharashtra’s Green Integrated Data Centre Park will address these concerns by promoting eco-friendly practices in the sector. The special policy aims to create a conducive ecosystem for the data centre industry by encouraging global companies to establish a presence.

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