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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.

Voice of bankers deserts left, joins Congress

Mumbai: Well-known banker-cum-trade unionist Vishwas R. Utagi – who is credited with exposing several banking-insurance-financial frauds in India – has joined the Congress.

 

A popular go-to-name for banks-finance related matters even among mediapersons, Utagi, 70, retired from the Bank of Maharashtra after 40 years’ service, capped with his appointment as the Employee-Director (2000-2003) on its board.

 

He was among those instrumental in exposing the infamous 1992 scam by the late Big Bull and stockbroker Harshad Mehta that shook the country’s banking-political sectors.

 

“Those were very exciting days… I was called by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed that year to probe the stock-markets scam and its huge economic-political ramifications,” said Utagi, in a detailed chat with ‘The Perfect Voice’.

 

In his new role for the Congress, Utagi hopes to organize the SME sector – the backbone of Indian economy – “which is in dire straits since the past few years”, to become the party’s ‘economic face’, raise issued of finance, banking and commerce, that directly affect the common man daily.

 

“The Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and state have failed abysmally on the economic front. The government has become increasingly arbitrary, with growing interference in the working of banks. Many rich capitalists have defrauded banks of massive amounts and fled the country. But no action is taken against them,” said Utagi.

 

In the early 1990s, Utagi called on 60 MPs plus the then Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh – who later became Prime Minister (2004-2014) to resolve the imbroglio of the crisis-hit Bank of Karad, along with a senior party leader, Prithviraj Chavan, who subsequently became a union minister and also served as Maharashtra CM.

 

At one point, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and certain other agencies utilized Utagi’s expertise to crack various financial frauds including the stock-markets and more banking scams involving liquor baron Vijay Mallya and diamantaire uncle-nephew of Mehul Choksi-Nirav Modi.

 

Utagi's deep concern for masses

 A banker with a Leftist inclination, he worked passionately for the success of the banks’ nationalization policy implemented (1969 and 1980), expansion of the public sector banks’ network to the remotest corners of the country, highlighting or exposing the flaws in the banking systems, and safeguarding the interests of the bank employees both in the public and private domain, not to forget the customers.

 

With lofty aims in mind, Utagi was involved in various capacities with the Investors Action Forum Charitable Trust, Bank Depositors’ Protection & Welfare Society, Chairman of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance Employees/Officers Association, several other national-level banking trade unions, plus All Trade Unions Co-Convener and Trade Unions Joint Action Committee.

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