Mumbai mayor election sees fresh twist, Shinde ‘locks in’ corporators at Taj

High-voltage political drama has erupted in Maharashtra following the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation results, with power equations in Mumbai still unsettled despite a clear majority. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has put a security plan in place for his corporators, citing fears of poaching ahead of the crucial mayoral election, while signs of internal strain within the ruling alliance have added to the tension.

As part of this strategy, all 29 elected corporators of the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde have been instructed to report to a Bandra hotel in the afternoon. The move, widely described as “hotel politics,” is aimed at preventing any attempts by rival camps, particularly the Thackeray faction, to lure away corporators before the mayor is elected.

At the same time, political circles were abuzz after both Deputy Chief Ministers, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, skipped a state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Their absence, despite Shinde being in Mumbai and Pawar in Pune, has sparked speculation about dissatisfaction within the government, possibly linked to electoral expectations and power-sharing arrangements.

The BMC numbers have ended the Thackeray family’s uninterrupted control over Mumbai after 25 years. The BJP has emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, followed by Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) with 65, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) with 29, Congress with 24, MNS with six and NCP (Sharad Pawar) with one seat. Despite leading the tally, the BJP needs Shinde’s support to install a mayor.

Sources indicate that Eknath Shinde has proposed a “two-and-a-half years each” formula for the mayor’s post, to be shared between the BJP and his faction. With the “Marathi mayor” issue having been raised strongly by Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, the ruling alliance is now under pressure to project a prominent Marathi face, even as the undivided Shiv Sena’s long-standing dominance in Mumbai stands decisively broken.