“It’s not just our position. Even people with Eknath Shinde I don’t want a BJP mayor in Mumbai… These are Shiv Sainiks. “They don’t want a BJP mayor,” Raut said, adding that the numbers in the House were “almost equal” and the majority margin was slim.

“There is a difference of only four. No matter how big a majority seems on paper, it is always unstable,” he said, hinting at intense political activity behind the scenes.

Soon after the election results, Shinde moved his party’s 29 corporators to a luxury hotel in Mumbai. Leaders of the Shiv Sena, led by Shinde, said the move was a precautionary measure to avoid poaching attempts during negotiations over the mayor’s post.

Raut, however, questioned the move, claiming that it reflected insecurity within the alliance. “If the Mahayuti was confident that his mayor would be elected without problems, there would be no need to keep 29 corporations confined to a hotel,” he said.

Raut claimed that keeping elected representatives under surveillance raised questions about law and order in the state and said, “If corporators have to be hidden like this, what does that say about governance?” He added that communication channels remain open despite such measures.

Shiv Sena leader UBT also said that party chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray spoke over phone amid the evolving situation and said that Uddhav also feels that the mayor should be from Shiv Sena.

Without giving details, Raut said opposition parties were closely monitoring developments and several policy options were being discussed. He added that the Sena (UBT) had not formally claimed the mayorship, but did not rule out the possibility.

Raut also targeted the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnaviswho is currently on an official visit to Davos, said: “He goes to Davos often, but we don’t see investments on the ground. Most of the investment seems to be in elections, from municipal bodies to Parliament.”

Responding to Raut’s comments about the Mumbai mayorship, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Narayan Rane said Raut was making vague references to behind-the-scenes discussions.

Responding to Uddhav Thackeray’s comment on Saturday that “my dream is to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, and God willing, this dream will come true”, Rane said: “Has Uddhav Thackeray started trusting God now? He has never folded his hands before God before. Will the mayor come down from heaven? Just look at the numbers. How will such a big gap be bridged?”

The BJP emerged as the largest party in the BMC with 89 seats, while the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 29 seats, taking the Mahayuti beyond the halfway point. The Shiv Sena (UBT), along with its allies including the MNS and the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar, bagged 72 seats.

Despite the numerical advantage, the position of mayor has become a sensitive issue within the alliance. The undivided Shiv Sena controlled the BMC for more than two decades, and the post has strong symbolic value for both the Shinde and Thackeray factions.

For Shinde, the post of mayor is crucial to bolster his claim as leader of the “real” Shiv Sena. For the BJP, winning the office would mark a breakthrough in Mumbai’s civic politics.
(with PTI)