Linguistic identity

The latest results show little change despite the increased focus on linguistic identity during the campaign.

A partisan split shows how differently political parties depend on non-Marathi voters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the largest party in the new House, has the largest non-Marathi presence. Of its 89 corporations, 38 (42.7 per cent) are non-Marathi, reflecting its strong support in linguistically mixed suburban areas.

Both factions of the Shiv Sena remain largely entrenched among Marathi-speaking voters. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has seven non-Marathi corporators among its 65 winners, while the Eknath ShindeThe Sena-led Sena has five non-Marathi corporations out of 29. These figures reinforce the Sena’s continued emphasis on Marathi identity.

The Indian National Congress shows a contrasting pattern. Of its 24 corporations, 16 are non-Marathi, highlighting its dependence on the pockets of immigrants and minorities. A similar trend is seen in the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), where seven of the eight elected corporators are non-Marathi. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which won three seats, won only Marathi corporators.

The changing place of immigrants

Non-Marathi communities once had a strong hold on the Bombay Municipal Corporation. In the decades after independence, Gujaratis, Parsis, Marwaris, Muslims, Christians and South Indians figured prominently in civic politics. Although non-Marathis constituted about 58 per cent of Mumbai’s population in the 1960s, by the mid-1970s they accounted for almost 45 per cent of the corporations. Between Independence and 1968, 15 of the city’s 21 mayors were non-Marathi.

This began to change with the rise of the Shiv Sena beginning in the late 1960s. By building strong neighborhood networks and mobilizing Marathi voters, the Sena made Marathi identity a central issue of civic politics. Over time, non-Marathi representation fell steadily, reaching a low of 28 percent in 2012, even as migration to Mumbai continued.
Census data shows that while Marathi remains the most spoken language in Mumbai, the Hindi-speaking population has grown much faster than any other group since the 1970s. Gujarati speakers have grown more slowly, while Urdu speakers have also seen a steady increase.

The political effect of this change became clear after 2014. In the 2017 BMC elections, 76 non-Marathi corporators were elected, making up 33 per cent of the House, up from 28 per cent in 2012. The current House, with 78 non-Marathi corporators, reflects the same trend.

This rise in non-Marathi representation sharpened language-based campaigns ahead of the elections, especially by parties like the Shiv Sena and the MNS. At the same time, it helped the BJP consolidate support among immigrant voters, whose numbers have been steadily increasing.

With the BJP in power at the Centre, the party has become more comfortable projecting itself as pro-immigrant in Mumbai, even as the Sena’s earlier anti-immigrant tone has softened. The BJP has also promoted more non-Marathi leaders in the city than in the past, giving migrant communities greater political confidence and visibility.

Talking to him indian express Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis He said the BJP was not defensive on the issue of Marathi identity. “Since we are a pan-India party, we do not aggressively project regional pride. In every election, they try to push emotive issues as they have nothing to counter my development agenda. We are not defensive on Marathi issues. We are moving forward,” Fadnavis said.