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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

Uddhav raises hackles over India-Pak cricket

Mumbai:  The Shiv Sena (UBT) unleashed a major offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Central government accusing them of ‘betraying national sentiments’ by permitting an India-Pakistan teams encounter in the upcoming Asia Cup cricket tournament in Dubai.

 

Leading the charge was SS (UBT) President and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, with MP Sanjay Raut, ex-minister Aditya Thackeray, Leader of Opposition Legislative Council Ambadas Danve and others joining him.

 

A livid Thackeray sought to know why the BJP was ignoring the recent Pahalgam terror attack (April 22) while giving a nod to the restoration of cricket ties.

 

“People take to the streets for dogs, pigeons and elephants. That is very good… But where was this compassion for the people who were massacred in Pahalgam or the women whose ‘sindoor’ was erased,” demanded Thackeray sharply.

 

Aiming at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statements that ‘Operation Sindoor’ is still on, Thackeray took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier remarks on patriotism - “hot ‘sindoor’ is flowing in my blood’ – and asked sarcastically, “when did this ‘hot sindoor’ become cold”.

 

Accusing the BJP-led Centre of dual standards, the SS (UBT) supremo said that “when the Operation Sindoor took place, the entire Opposition sided with the Government”.

 

“Now, how can you even allow the Indian cricket team to play with Team Pakistan. Our armed forces fought and made sacrifices, yet the government takes the credit and permits this,” Thackeray said.

 

Raut shot off a letter to the PM asking: “You once declared that blood and water cannot flow together. Will blood and cricket now flow side by side?”

 

Flaying the match motive, Raut noted: “The blood of the Indians killed in the Pahalgam attack has not yet dried, or the tears of their families have not yet stopped. Playing cricket matches with Pakistan ins inhuman.”

 

Questioning the commercial-cum-political motives behind the Indo-Pak match, Raut alleged that usually matches between the two neighbours involved large-scale betting and gambling with BJP members reportedly joining in.

 

“Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and a key figure in international cricket, is steering these affairs. Is there a significant financial turnover for the BJP in this?” he questioned accusingly.

 

Worli MLA Aditya Thackeray wrote a separate letter to Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, accusing the government of ‘hypocrisy’.

 

Quoting the PM’s I-Day speech remark that “blood and water cannot flow together”, Thackeray Jr pointedly asked: “Is the BCCI above national interest? Above the sacrifice of our jawans? Above the ‘sindoor’ of the Pahalgam widows?”

 

Referring to other nations which have isolated aggressor states in the sports arena for greater causes, Aditya said that “terrorism is one such cause”, but the BCCI, driven by money and advertising revenue, has chosen cricket over the nation’s dignity.

 

Rooting with the SS (UBT) stance, Danve declared: “There should be no India-Pakistan match — not a series, not even a one-off contest.”

 

Thackeray Jr. took a swipe at the BCCI by referring to the new NCERT textbooks lessons on the Pahalgam attacks, asking the cricket body officials to ‘read it’.

 

“We had sent delegations to isolate Pakistan globally, but now our own cricket board is legitimizing them,” he said, as the Ss (UBT) attempted to nail nationalism - the BJP’s prime political plank.

 

 

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