Kalyan: For nearly a quarter century, the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has been regarded as a bastion of the undivided Shiv Sena. Since the first general election of the civic body in 1995, the party had enjoyed near-unbroken dominance, producing a majority of the mayors between 1995 and 2020.
First KDMC Election After Shiv Sena Split Marks a Political Turning Point
But the upcoming KDMC election will be fundamentally different. It will be the first civic poll after the split of Shiv Sena into two rival factions — the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Political observers believe this rupture could dramatically alter the balance of power in one of Maharashtra’s most politically significant municipal corporations.
The KDMC was established on October 1, 1983, with T. Chandrashekhar as its first Municipal Commissioner. The corporation was run by administrators until 1995, when the first general election was held. From 1995 to 2020, a total of 13 mayors were elected. Of these, 11 belonged to the undivided Shiv Sena, reinforcing the party’s long-standing grip over the civic body.
Only twice in 25 years did the mayor’s post go outside Shiv Sena: Harishchandra Patil (BJP) served as Mayor from 2003 to 2005. Pundalik Mhatre (undivided NCP) served from 2005 to 2007. Each of them held the post for only two-and-a-half years, while Shiv Sena retained overall control of the corporation.
Because of this uninterrupted dominance, Kalyan–Dombivli was widely regarded as Shiv Sena’s fortress in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
This will be the first KDMC election after the Shiv Sena split, making it a watershed moment for the city’s politics. Kalyan–Dombivli has four Assembly constituencies. At present, two MLAs belong to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and two to the BJP. At the Lok Sabha level, three Assembly segments of KDMC fall under the Kalyan parliamentary constituency, which is represented by Dr. Shrikant Shinde of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. This gives the ruling Mahayuti (BJP-Shinde Sena alliance) a strong organisational and electoral base in the region. Political analysts believe this shift in legislative strength could translate into a major advantage for the Shinde Sena–BJP alliance in the municipal election.
List of Mayors (1995–2020)
Aarti Mokal – Shiv Sena
Ramesh Dalvi – Shiv Sena
Sharyu Pradhan – Shiv Sena
Anita Dalvi – Shiv Sena
Shahu Vaman Sawant – Shiv Sena
Mangala Shinde – Shiv Sena (2000–03)
Harishchandra Patil – BJP (2003–05)
Pundalik Mhatre – NCP (undivided) (2005–07)
Ramesh Jadhav – Shiv Sena (2007–10)
Rajendra Devlekar – Shiv Sena (2010–13)
Kalyani Patil – Shiv Sena (2013–15)
Vaijayanti Gholap – Shiv Sena (2015–18)
Vinita Rane – Shiv Sena (2018–20)
Five Civic Elections So Far
KDMC has held five general elections:
Year
Date
1995
10 September 1995
2000
24 September 2000
2005
23 October 2005
2010
31 October 2010
2015
1 November 2015
Party-Wise Performance in KDMC Elections
1995 – First General Election (86 seats)
Shiv Sena – 40
BJP – 23
Congress – 16
RPI (Athawale) – 1
Independents – 6
2000 – Second Election (86 seats)
Shiv Sena – 26
BJP – 21
Congress – 18
NCP – 10
RPI (Gavai) – 1
Independents – 10
2005 – Third Election (107 seats)
Shiv Sena – 29
Congress – 21
BJP – 16
NCP – 23
RPI (Athawale) – 1
BSP – 1
Independents – 16
2010 – Fourth Election (107 seats)
Shiv Sena – 31
Congress – 15
BJP – 9
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) – 14
MNS – 27
Independents – 11
2015 – Fifth Election (122 seats)
Shiv Sena – 53
BJP – 43
MNS – 9
Congress – 4
NCP – 2
BSP – 1
AIMIM – 1
Independents – 9
Key Civic and Electoral Data
Total voters: 14,24,748
Men: 7,45,470
Women: 6,78,726
Others: 552
Total wards: 122
Estimated population: 20 lakh
Number of electoral panels in the current election: 31
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