Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has reiterated that the BJP, having emerged as the single largest party in the civic body, should rightfully hold the Mayor’s post, amid ongoing negotiations and political uncertainty over the formation of the municipal leadership.
The BJP secured 89 seats in the 227-member House. Its alliance partner, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, won 29 seats, giving the Mahayuti a comfortable combined strength of 118 members—well above the magic figure of 114 required to elect the Mayor. Eknath Shinde, however, has asserted that the post should go to a Shiv Sainik, particularly in what is being marked as the centenary year of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
The disagreement is not limited to the mayoralty alone but also extends to the powerful Standing Committee chairmanship, which exercises significant financial control over India’s richest civic body. Sources said Shinde held discussions with the BJP’s national leadership in Delhi in an attempt to break the deadlock, but the talks failed to produce a resolution. The continuing delay in registering corporators has only fuelled speculation that the power-sharing formula between the two allies is still being negotiated.
According to party insiders, the BJP is keen to fulfil its longstanding ambition of installing one of its own as Mayor of Mumbai while simultaneously securing control over the Standing Committee. However, the arithmetic of the House leaves little room for manoeuvre. The Opposition benches include 65 corporators from the Shiv Sena (UBT), 24 from the Congress, and six from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), making the ruling alliance wary of internal discord.
Political clarity, however, is expected only after Chief Minister Fadnavis returns from Davos, where he was attending the World Economic Forum. Meanwhile, the Opposition parties—the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and MNS—have already completed the registration of their corporators and political groups. Mumbai BJP unit chief Ameet Satam said the party would convene a meeting of its newly elected corporators within the next two to three days to elect a group leader and complete the registration process with the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, likely by Tuesday.
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