Mumbai, Jan 16: Brand Devabhau was in full throttle on Friday when the BJP-led Mahayuti won as many as 118 of the 227 seats in the closely contested elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (55) was the mastermind who led the coalition to an impressive victory and ensured that the BJP will install its first mayor of Mumbai on January 28.
Since central leaders do not take part in local elections, the entire burden of helming the campaign was left to Fadnavis, and he executed the task with aplomb.
End of Thackeray Sena’s long dominance
In one fell stroke, the poll results also ended the 25-year-long dominance of the Shiv Sena led by the Thackerays over the richest civic body in the country. Even though the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray was not routed, it certainly received a severe setback.
Its hope that the Marathi manoos would wholeheartedly support it was dashed into smithereens. Uddhav joining hands with cousin Raj Thackeray did not help consolidate the votes of bhumiputras.
The internal dynamics resulted in the distribution of the votes of the Marathi manoos between the Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS and Shiv Sena (Shinde), and the solid consolidation of non-Marathi votes in favour of the BJP.
The outcome was exactly as scripted by Fadnavis and his core team of strategists. Shinde played his role in weakening the Shiv Sena for the third time in succession after the elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assembly.
Congress, AIMIM and fractured opposition
The Congress was upset with its ally, the Shiv Sena (UBT), for joining hands with Raj Thackeray and hence decided to go it alone. This further split the anti-BJP votes.
The Congress feared that any association with Raj Thackeray’s MNS, even tangentially, would cost it dear in terms of North Indian votes, which are present in substantial numbers in several wards, especially in western and northern Mumbai.
The AIMIM sprang a surprise by bagging seven of the eight seats in the Govandi–Mankhurd belt. It sent the Samajwadi Party, which projected itself as a custodian of Muslim interests, packing. The denial of Muslim votes to the Congress was one of the reasons for the latter’s poor performance.
Hindutva and development pitch
According to observers, the BJP presented a good mix of Hindutva and development, which appealed to the masses. The banning of loudspeakers in all mosques and the decision to evict thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims and Rohingyas warmed the cockles of the Hindutva brigade.
Simultaneously, the emphasis on development projects such as the coastal road, Atal Setu, Navi Mumbai airport, Wadhavan port, Aqua Line 3 underground Metro line, Goregaon–Mulund Link Road, road concretisation, redevelopment of BDD chawls, Dharavi and Ramabai Colony, Bandra–Versova Sea Link, Dahisar–Bhayander Link Road, Orange Gate to Marine Drive underground road, occupation certification and padgi policies helped project the Mahayuti as an alliance that meant business.
The performance of the Mahayuti is to be seen in the context of the fact that it could sell its developmental agenda to voters in a short span of 12 days, which was the campaign window.
Defections and surprise defeats
While the Mahayuti managed to project a picture of unity, the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS were affected by defections till the last moment. For example, a veteran leader like Dagdu Sakpal quit the Shiv Sena (UBT) two days before the polls and joined the Shiv Sena (Shinde). He was a pillar of support for the undivided Shiv Sena in its bastions of Lalbaug and Parel.
The election sprang quite a few surprises. Samadhan and Priya, son and daughter of former Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Sada Sarvankar, were defeated in Dadar. Dipti, daughter of Shiv Sena (Shinde) MP Ravindra Waikar, was trounced in Jogeshwari.
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Veteran former corporator Ravi Raja, who joined the BJP after bidding goodbye to the Congress, was defeated in Dharavi. All three members of the family of don Arun Gawli lost in Byculla, emphasising the fact that the days of “bhaigiri” are over.
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