The race for Mumbai’s mayor post has taken a dramatic turn following the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
elections, held after a four-year delay. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has staked a claim to the mayor’s post for his faction of the Shiv Sena, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction has raised allegations that the phones of newly elected corporators are being tapped.
Mayor Chair as 'Tribute' to Bal Thackeray
Shinde justified his claim as a tribute to the late Bal Thackeray, whose birth centenary falls next year. “Balasaheb Thackeray's birth centenary year starts from January 23. Some Shivsainiks (party activists) have the feeling that a Shiv Sena mayor should be installed in the BMC,” he said as quoted by Hindustan Times. He added that Mahayuti mayors would be appointed in civic bodies where the Shiv Sena and BJP had contested together, stressing that his party would not go against the people’s mandate.
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The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member BMC, while Shinde’s Shiv Sena secured 29 seats. The rival Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, and its ally, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, bagged six. With no single party holding a clear majority, the battle for themayor’s post has intensified.
Phone Tapping Allegations
Amid the tussle, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged on Tuesday that the phones of newly elected BJP and Shinde Sena corporators, who were staying in a luxury hotel, were being tapped. “BJP workers are monitoring (movements) of every corporator of the party. The BJP is also tapping phones of its own corporators,” he told reporters, adding that the mayor of Mumbai was being decided by Delhi, calling it an insult to Maharashtra.
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The BJP dismissed the claims, with party media in-charge Navnath Ban saying, “We don't need phone tapping, but Raut should clarify who was tapping Eknath Shinde's and Uday Samant's phones when Maha Vikas Aghadi (led by Uddhav Thackeray) was in power. We have strong support from corporators, and are not engaged in such activities.”
Meanwhile, the 29 corporators of Shinde’s Shiv Sena registered themselves as a group with the Konkan Divisional Commissioner before leaving the Bandra hotel, receiving guidance from Shinde on their next steps. As per reports, the alliance’s move to isolate corporators could be aimed at preventing poaching, as the battle for the city’s top civic post intensifies.
