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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 Saffron Flag Bearer

Devendra Fadnavis has many achievements to his credit—at 27, he became the youngest mayor of Nagpur and when he took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra, he was the second youngest person to occupy the top post, only after Sharad Pawar who shouldered the responsibility when he was just 36. Born into a family that was active in the Jan Sangh, Fadnavis joined the ABVP, the student body of the BJP, while studying in Nagpur and became a corporator at 22 years, at an age when most are still completing their education. He continued his education to attain a degree in law and then in business management. His made his debut in the state legislature in 1999 when he won the elections from Nagpur and has represented the constituency since then.


His tenure as the leader of the opposition in Maharashtra was appreciated for his well-studied arguments and a close watch on the government’s policies. As the chief minister, he is credited with introducing several progressive initiatives such as digitisation of villages, the CM fellowship programme which was aimed at bringing in subject expertise into the CM’s office, reservation for orphans and mega infrastructure projects like the Samruddhi Expressway. The top job also came with ample criticism, from party colleagues as well. In 2019, his early morning attempt at forming a government with a break-away faction of the NCP, marred his stature. He had a public fall-out with alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray who accused him of going back on the promise of sharing the chief minister’s position in the government. The relations between the former saffron alliance partners soured enough for the two sides to hurl allegations at each other. In 2022, he formed a government with a faction of the Shiv Sena but had to settle for the position of the deputy chief minister. Over the course of his political career, Fadnavis has also held several top organisational positions within the BJP such as leading the youth wing in Maharashtra as the vice-president, becoming the state president of the party and also being in-charge of the BJP in Goa apart from being a leading face of the party.


Fadnavis’ father Gangadhar was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council as a representative of the Jan Sangh. His aunt Shobha Fadnavis is also in the legislative council and was a member of the assembly from Saoli in Vidarbha between 1990 and 2004 and also a former minister. His high-profile wife, Amruta, although not in politics, is active in Mumbai’s social circles and runs an NGO. Amruta won appreciation for being vocal about public issues and policies and retaining her bank job.

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