The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to bow to political pressure from its alliance partner, the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, over the power-sharing formula in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), including the prestigious post of Mumbai mayor. As the largest party in the civic body with 89 seats out of the 137 contested, BJP strategists have indicated that the party cannot compromise on either the mayor’s post or the chairmanship of the Standing Committee, which controls finances and key policy decisions in the BMC.
Senior leaders said the sentiment of retaining these two posts spreads evenly across the BJP central committee, the party’s highest decision-making body in Maharashtra, headed by the Chief Minister. Devendra Fadnavis.
A senior BJP functionary, who requested anonymity, said: “In politics, it all comes down to arithmetic. The numbers game shows that we have legitimate claims on the mayor of Bombay. “So, when it comes to power-sharing committees, the BJP’s claim on the standing committee is justified.” BJP insiders pointed to the long-standing formula that existed during the party’s alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray.
A BJP minister who was earlier in the BMC said, “Despite having good corporators with a better understanding of civic issues, we always played second fiddle to the Shiv Sena because they had more seats in the BMC. For the last 25 years, the undivided Shiv Sena held the post of mayor and standing committee.” Even in 2017, he recalled, the BJP, which won 82 seats (two less than the undivided Shiv Sena’s 84), had handed over the entire power structure to the Thackerays.
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan held talks with Shinde on Sunday night before flying to Delhi to attend the national executive meeting of the BJP. The discussions centered on power sharing in the Ulhasnagar and Kalyan-Dombivli civic bodies, where both parties have been locked in intense political competition.
Chavan said, “All the details regarding power sharing and the mayor will be formalized once Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis returns from Davos.” He added that in principle, the Shiv Sena and the BJP remain together.
As a counterstrategy to rein in Shinde, the BJP has allowed its second-rung leaders to assert their rights in the Thane Municipal Corporation, where the Shiv Sena has emerged as the largest party. Thane is considered Shinde territory and has significant prestige for the Shiv Sena.
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On Tuesday, BJP MLA Niranjan Davkhare said, “Shiv Sena should give the mayor’s post to the BJP in Thane for a stable administration.” In the neighboring Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, where even the Shiv Sena and the BJP are located, both sides are claiming the mayor’s post.
BJP sources said, “In Mumbai, we are exploring all possible options. In the worst case scenario, if Shinde does not give us support for mayor, we will still make it. If the 65 newly elected Shiv Sena (UBT) members abstain from the mayoral vote in protest, the halfway mark will come down to 81.” Shiv Sena (UBT), they added, would never accept a Shinde-backed candidate as Mumbai mayor.
The total strength of the BMC is 227, with the mid-mark at 114. However, party leaders pointed out that if a considerable number of corporators from all parties abstain from voting, the effective majority required would be less.
BJP strategists also pointed out a similar political situation after the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Despite emerging as the largest party with 122 seats in the 288-member House, the then undivided Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray opted to sit in the opposition. With the 63 Shiv Sena MLAs staying away, the BJP fell short of a majority of 145. In a move that surprised many, the undivided NCP led by Sharad Pawar extended its unconditional external support to the BJP, allowing it to win the confidence motion through a voice vote. A month later, the Shiv Sena joined the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
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While there has been no official statement from the Shiv Sena (UBT) about a possible truth with the BJP, Sanjay Raut’s praise for Fadnavis’s reception in Davos, expressed in party mouthpiece Saamana, was seen by some as carrying a subtle political message.
Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan said, “What we are witnessing is a political drama and a power struggle between Shiv Sena and BJP. What and how they are addressing their issue. Why are they dragging Shiv Sena (UBT)? We have nothing to do.”
Of the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, the BJP will need alliance support in only five, including Mumbai, Kalyan Dombivli, Amravati and Ulhasnagar. In the rest of the civic bodies, party leaders said, they are expected to have smooth functioning thanks to their own numbers.