Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday (July 5) demanded that long due civic elections in Mumbai be held at the earliest. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is currently under an administrator appointed by the Maharashtra government. Thackeray made the demand in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Thackeray, himself an MLA from the Worli constituency, said during his speech that a metropolis as big and as important as Mumbai is without corporators for two years now. He further said that posts of 15 civic ward officers were vacant.
"People have to go to local MLAs for the work which has to be done at the civic-level," he said as he pushed for elections for the country's richest civic body.
State Industries Minister Uday Samant said that the government had asked Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to fill vacant posts of ward officers.
In addition to Mumbai, elections for major municipal corporations like those in Thane and Pune are due since 2022.
Currently, Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Bhushan Gagrani is working as municipal commissioner as well as administrator of the civic body.
Control of BMC is key in the tussle between the two Shiv Sena factions, one led by Uddhav Thackeray and the other led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Since Mumbai is home-turf of the Thackeray clan and that of unified Shiv Sena, it is widely held that power of the Thackerays cannot be underestimated till their hold over the BMC is intact.
In February, the BMC presented a budget of 59,954.75 crore for the year 2024-25. This size of budget, which is of a single city, is itself bigger than budgets of several Indian states. This forms one of the reasons why political parties are keen for control over the BMC, which for several decades has been firmly in Shiv Sena's grip.
(With inputs from agencies)
