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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 Sultans of Solapur

Updated: Oct 25, 2024

Sushilkumar Shinde

Sushilkumar Shinde’s recently released memoir reveals lesser-known and interesting facets of India’s political history and politicians as well as the social and political developments over the past five decades that Shinde has witnessed as a politician. Born to a cobbler in Solapur, Shinde rose to become India’s Home Minister, the chief minister of Maharashtra and the Governor of Andhra Pradesh during his 50 year-long political career.


 A law graduate from Kolhapur’s Shivaji University, Shinde began his professional life as a bailiff in a Solapur court and then joined the police force as a sub-inspector. But life had other plans. His senior by eight months, Sharad Pawar had urged Shinde to join politics. Which he did and later went on to occupy several high positions in the country.


 Shinde won elections to the legislative assembly from Solapur from 1974 and given his dedication to the party, was put in-charge of Sonia Gandhi’s election campaign in Amethi in 1999. Her thumping victory is said to have consolidated his close association with the Gandhi family and the Congress, a party he has stayed loyal to. On his party bosses’ insistence, Shinde had unsuccessfully contested the vice-presidential elections against the National Democratic Alliance’s candidate in 2002. In 2003, he became the first Dalit to occupy the post of the chief minister of Maharashtra after his predecessor Vilasrao Deshmukh resigned. Until then, political parties had stuck to members of the Maratha community as their chief ministerial picks given the caste structure in the state.


 After a stint as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh in 2004, Shinde moved to Delhi and became the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was the Union Power Minister and even led the prestigious and sensitive Home ministry. His tenure as the country’s home minister saw two major decisions—the hanging of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab.


 Affable and soft spoken, the light eyed politician from Solapur has friends across political parties and few foes. He shared a close rapport with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and continues to be friends with Pawar. His warm relationship with Vilasrao Deshmukh had apparently earned them the sobriquet of do hanson ka joda because each would recommend the other’s name for the state’s top job whenever the Congress was scouting for a change of guard in Maharashtra.


 While his two older daughters stayed away from public life, the former minister’s youngest daughter Praniti followed her father into politics, taking baby steps into public life with an NGO that worked with the women of Solapur. She won her first election in 2009 and has, since then, been a three-time legislator and first time MP from Solapur, a constituency nurtured by her father.

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