Determined to prevent defections, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has decided to complete all paperwork involving the 29 newly elected corporators of the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC), who were moved to a five-star hotel in Mumbai soon after their poll win. According to reports in the Shiv Sena, the leader of the group of Sena corporators is likely to be named today. As per sources, Shiv Sena is awaiting the government gazette, which is expected on Monday. Once the gazette is received, all 29 corporators will proceed to Belapur’s Konkan Bhavan (Navi Mumbai) to officially register their group. After the registration the Shivsena group will be officially formed and the anti-defection law will come into force. The BMC polls, held after 2017, saw the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP and its ally, the Shinde Sena, win 89 and 29 seats, respectively. The Thackeray brothers, Uddhav and Raj, who fought in alliance with the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, won 72 seats together. While the BJP and Shinde Sena have the numbers to cross the majority mark in the 227-member House, the question of who the mayor will be is expected to dominate discussions between the allies. BMC has had a Sena Mayor for decades, and Shinde, whose mutiny split the Sena, will push for the Mayor post to bolster his claim that his faction is the real Shiv Sena. The BJP, on the other hand, will likely want the Mayor’s post to make a political point, as the BMC has never had a BJP corporator as Mayor.
Opposition, Risks, and Precautions
As for the opposition, the Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) won 65, six, and one ward, respectively. This adds up to 72. The Congress won 24 wards, AIMIM eight, and the Samajwadi Party two. While a combined opposition could reach 106, eight short of a majority, this remains unlikely.
It is against this backdrop that the Shinde Sena is not taking any chances. Soon after their win, Shinde moved all 29 corporators to a five-star hotel to foil any poaching attempt.
Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray claimed that the Deputy Chief Minister is wary of the BJP. "Those who had once abandoned a party can do it again," he said.
Thackeray’s aide Sanjay Raut noted, "Many of the Shinde Sena corporators are new faces. They are Shiv Sainiks, and they do not want a BJP mayor. No matter how much you confine them, there are many means of communication; messages can still go through. If God wills, a Mayor from our party can still take charge."
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he, Shinde, and other stakeholders will take a call on the Mayor question.
