Can Mumbai Have A Muslim Mayor? What Maharashtra Minister Told NDTV

The next Mayor of Mumbai can only be a Hindu and a son of the soil, Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane said today at the NDTV Power Play. While there have been Muslim mayors in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation before, it is no longer possible, the minister said. 

This, he said, is because Mumbai is a "sensitive city in its own way". "It is the financial capital. That's why the mayor here should be a Hindu and that too a Marathi".

"We have no problem with a Nationalist Muslim, the one who says Vande Mataram and respect our National Flag... but the one who are here to do Jihad we will not spare them," he said.

Asked if no one with a proper mindset can be given the post of mayor, he said, "It is not about being given the post". The safety and sensitivity of the city should be kept in mind, he said. 

The long pending elections for the Brihanmumbai corporation will be held on January 15. The elections are politically crucial for the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Shiv Sena UBT and its allies. 

The undivided Shiv Sena has been controlling the city's civic body - the largest in Asia - for decades. Now, following the split in the party, the electoral battle has been dubbed a battle "for the soul of Mumbai."