Though Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has won fewer seats than ally BJP in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, he appears to be firm on the powerful Mayor’s post in the key civic body—a demand that has triggered intense political speculations and sparring.
It is not just a battle of egos but a struggle for political survival, say observers.
With Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the World Economic Forum in Davos until around January 24, discussions on the Mayor’s election and power-sharing in India’s richest civic body seem to have been delayed.
Amid all this is rival Shiv Sena (UBT)’s MP Sanjay Raut and his claim that his party is strong enough to stake a claim to the Mayor’s post. “Under no circumstances will the Shinde faction’s mayor be elected,” he also said, fishing in troubled waters, and claimed that decisions about Mumbai were being taken in Delhi rather than Mumbai. The ruling Mahayuti alliance is ignoring the mandate of Mumbaikars, he said.
Numerically, the BJP is the single largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member BMC. But it is short of the 114-seat majority mark. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena, despite winning only 29 seats, is therefore the virtual kingmaker, giving the deputy CM disproportionate bargaining power.
For Shinde, control of the Mayor’s post is critical.
The BMC has been a traditional Shiv Sena bastion for 25 years, and conceding the Mayor’s position will only send negative perceptions to the cadres,, especially after Shinde losing the chief minister’s post and the home portfolio after the 2024 Assembly elections. To prevent defections and strengthen his negotiating hand, Shinde also moved his corporators to a hotel, reviving memories of “resort politics.”
The Shinde side argues that the Shiv Sena should hold the Mayor’s post for at least the first year or the initial 2.5 years, as founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s birth centenary is in 2026. The Shinde camp is also citing support to the BJP during political crises in Maharashtra. Besides control over the influential civic posts, particularly those overseeing BMC finances, is also vital to maintain relevance.
The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) is further adding to the trouble by pointing to its claim over the post and “dissent within Shinde’s ranks over backing a BJP mayor”.