Mumbai: After the mayor and deputy mayor elections, the political spotlight in Mumbai has now shifted to the most powerful post inside the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — the Standing Committee chairperson. The election, scheduled for February 20, is being seen as the real battle for control over India’s richest municipal corporation.
In powerful civic bodies like the BMC, real authority lies with its statutory committees, particularly the Standing Committee, which wields direct financial powers over the annual budget, expenditure approvals, allocation of funds for development works, contracts, and major civic projects. Equally significant is the Improvement Committee, a key statutory body that takes decisions related to urban development. Each of these committees comprises 26 members, and their composition reflects the sharp political equations within the corporation.
Following the formation of a joint bloc between Shiv Sena (Shinde) and both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party, their collective strength has increased, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) has seen a reduction by one member. As per the allocation formula, the BJP will have 10 members each on the Standing and Improvement Committees; the Shiv Sena–NCP joint bloc will have four each; Shiv Sena (UBT) will secure seven each; Congress will have three each; AIMIM and MNS will receive one member each, while the Samajwadi Party, with only two corporators, will not secure representation due to insufficient numerical strength under the prescribed quota system, said sources from the municipal secretary department.
The appointments to the Standing and Improvement Committees will be formally announced in a special general body meeting on Monday afternoon, where members of statutory and special committee will be announced. In the Education Committee, the BJP will have nine members, Shiv Sena (UBT) six, the Shiv Sena–NCP joint bloc three, Congress two, and one each from MNS and AIMIM; additionally, among four non-corporator nominees, the BJP will get two while Shiv Sena (UBT) and the joint bloc will get one each. In the 16-member BEST Committee, the BJP will secure six seats, Shiv Sena (UBT) five, the Shiv Sena joint bloc two, Congress two, and AIMIM one, with no representation for MNS or the Samajwadi Party.
The Monday session will also witness the formal announcement of party group leaders, opposition leader and leader of house setting the stage for a politically charged phase of civic governance in Mumbai. Meanwhile, elections for the chairpersons of the Standing and Education Committees of the BMC are scheduled for February 20, followed by polls for the Improvement and BEST Committees on February 23. From the BJP, senior corporator Prabhakar Shinde, along with Makarand Narwekar and Prakash Gandhare, has emerged as key contenders for the powerful chairperson’s position.
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