Eknath Shinde is reportedly bargaining hard for the Mumbai mayor’s post. Photos: ANI.
Eknath Shinde, having emerged as a kingmaker in Mumbai following the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, is expected to drive a hard bargain on power-sharing, not only in the BMC but also across other civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
On Sunday night, Shinde met the 29 Shiv Sena corporators who have been staying at the Taj Land’s End hotel in Bandra since Saturday. In a move that revived memories of past episodes of “resort politics”, Shinde had shifted all 29 newly elected corporators to the five-star hotel soon after the results were declared, ostensibly to keep the group together.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Eknath Shinde reiterated that Mumbai would have a mayor from the Mahayuti alliance, a statement he has repeated several times in recent days. “Even neighbouring cities like Kalyan-Dombivli will have a Mahayuti mayor,” he said.
His statement comes amid intense speculation over the decision to house the corporators in a hotel after the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance secured a narrow majority in the civic polls. The opposition Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) alleged that the corporators were kept there because Shinde was negotiating a better deal with the BJP and feared that his members could be poached.
Officially, however, the Shiv Sena maintained that the corporators were attending a three-day training programme, particularly since many of them are first-time elected representatives.
Responding to opposition claims that Sena corporators would be “untraceable”, Shinde dismissed the charge.
“The Shiv Sena is not a party that gets cowed down. The Sena (UBT) should take care of its own corporators,” he said, hinting that defections could occur from the rival camp.
Industries Minister Uday Samant echoed this line, alleging that Sena (UBT) corporators might abstain from voting. “The media will realise who is not reachable at the time of the mayoral elections,” he said, indicating that some corporators from rival parties could eventually support the Mahayuti mayoral candidate.
When asked whether the Shiv Sena was formally demanding a share of the mayor’s post, Samant said, “All parties that come to power feel they must have their own mayor.”
According to a report in The Print, quoting party sources, with the birth centenary year of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray beginning on January 23, there was a strong desire within the party to see a Sena mayor in Mumbai this time.
According to reports, newly elected corporators and party workers are pushing for a formula under which the BJP would share the mayor’s post with the Shiv Sena for two-and-a-half years. The BJP has emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats in the BMC.
While Shinde has not formally conveyed any such proposal to the BJP or Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, reports said pressure from within the party is mounting.
Reports added that the party was keen on securing the mayor’s post for the first two-and-a-half years.
In the BMC, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has secured 65 seats, a drop from the 84 it held in 2017 when the party was undivided. Despite the 2022 split, the UBT faction’s numbers remain significant. If the strength of all non-BJP and non-Shinde Sena corporators is combined, the total reaches 109, close to the majority mark.
Speaking to the media on Saturday, Uddhav Thackeray made a veiled reference to the unfolding power struggle. “It’s my dream to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, and if Dev (god) is willing, this dream will be realised. However, the party is happy with the results that came against all odds,” he said.
He also warned that “the BJP can stoop to any level and might even poach the corporators of (ally) Shiv Sena to get majority on its own,” underscoring the high-stakes contest now playing out in Mumbai’s civic politics.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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