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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.

Turbulent Beginnings

It has been a month since the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government took charge in Maharashtra, basking in the glow of a landslide victory in the Assembly elections last year. But the euphoria has quickly given way to chaos. The coalition—an amalgam of the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP—has stumbled at almost every turn, grappling with infighting, delayed decisions and a lack of coordination that belies the decisive mandate it received.


The Mahayuti entered office with an unprecedented 230 out of 288 seats in the Assembly, a near-total decimation of the Opposition MVA. This mandate carried a clear message: the electorate expects decisive governance, not excuses or political squabbles. Yet, the coalition appears paralyzed by its own internal dynamics.


The first signs of trouble emerged with the sluggish pace of portfolio allocation. It took nearly a month for the triumvirate of Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar to carve out ministerial responsibilities among the coalition partners. Even after painstaking negotiations, many crucial posts remain contested and tensions are festering.


It appears that Fadnavis, a seasoned administrator with a reputation for discipline, has struggled to assert control. His allies, emboldened by their individual electoral gains, have been unwilling to compromise. Shinde, who relinquished his Chief Ministerial ambitions after the BJP’s strong performance, had pitched for heavyweight portfolios like Home, only to be rebuffed. This jockeying had spilled over into other critical departments, delaying governance at a time when Maharashtra urgently needs attention on infrastructure and social welfare.


Adding to the complications are ministers who have courted controversy. Allegations linking NCP minister Dhananjay Munde’s close aide to the murder of a sarpanch in Beed have prompted calls for his resignation. These controversies not only undermine the government’s image but also distract from its ability to deliver on its promises.


The issue of appointing District Guardian Ministers has become the latest flashpoint. These positions are coveted not only for their role in overseeing development funds but also for their influence in local politics. In Pune, Ajit Pawar, who has held the post for two decades, is determined to retain it. However, the BJP’s Chandrakant Patil and Shiv Sena leaders are staking claims. Similar power struggles are unfolding in Nashik and Raigad. In Beed, opposition to Munde’s potential appointment is strong in wake of the sarpanch murder case.


Fadnavis must navigate the egos of coalition partners, while keeping an eye on Maharashtra’s development. The absence of visible governance in the first month of the Mahayuti government has left the people wondering if their overwhelming vote for change will result in the same old problems of political gridlock and inefficiency.


Unless the coalition presents a cohesive front, it risks squandering the political capital it earned in November. The people of Maharashtra have voted for stability and governance, not for a coalition perpetually at war with itself. The clock is ticking, and the honeymoon is over.

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