Mumbai is likely to get a mayor only after January 26 due to the commitments of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis besides other factors, official sources said here on Saturday.
According to sources, Fadnavis left for the Davos Investment Summit on Friday night and will return only on January 25, due to which the election to the Mumbai mayor’s post is expected to take place after his return.
There are also other factors at work. Sources said that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena plans to stake its claim to the Mumbai mayor’s post. Contesting or conceding such claims or arriving at a consensus about the Mumbai Mayor’s post is going to take some time even after Fadnavis returns to Mumbai, sources said.
Besides, there is also a reservation-based lottery system which will decide who gets to become Mumbai Mayor.
In order to get a majority and be eligible to elect the mayor of Mumbai, a party or alliance needs to win at least 114 municipal corporation wards. As things stand, the BJP has emerged as the single-largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) winning 89 wards out of a total 227 municipal corporation wards, while its ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won 29 wards in the BMC. Taken together, the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has won 118 wards in the BMC.
The winning party or alliance decides which party’s candidate would get the mayor’s post. The process is more or less similar to how the prime minister or chief ministers are elected from the elected members of legislatures, with one big difference–there is a lottery system which takes reserved categories into consideration, when it comes to electing Mumbai’s mayor.
The mayor is elected on a rotational basis to give representation to the general category, scheduled castes, other backward castes (OBCs) as well as women. The lottery, which is conducted by the state’s Urban Development Department, will ultimately decide who gets to be Mumbai mayor.
According to sources, the BMC Commissioner will formally announce the schedule for the Mumbai mayor’s election only after Fadnavis returns to Mumbai after January 26. This schedule will also include a draw to decide the category from which the mayor will be elected, followed by the voting process for the posts of both the Mumbai Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of Mumbai, sources said.
However, the names of a few potential candidates who could become Mumbai Mayor are already being discussed openly. Names from the BJP being considered include Makarand Narwekar, who is the younger brother of controversial Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. Makarand Narwekar won from Ward 46 in Cuffe Parade, South Mumbai. Other names being discussed are Yogita Koli who won from Ward 46 in Malad West, journalist turned BJP spokesperson turned first-time BJP candidate Navnath Ban, who won from Ward 135 in Mankhurd as well as Tejaswee Abhishek Ghosalkar who won from Ward 2 in Dahisar.
From the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s side, the name of Ankit Prabhu, the son of former mayor Sunil Prabhu, is being considered for the Mumbai mayor’s post, sources said.
In fact, immediately after the results of the municipal corporation elections were announced on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde staked his party’s claim for the post of the Mumbai Mayor. Shinde Sena spokesperson Sheetal Mhatre also said that “We want the post of Mumbai Mayor for two and a half years,” adding that the Shinde-led Shiv Sena should get the post on the occasion of the birth centenary of late founder of the undivided Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thackeray.