"23 Shiv Sena Mayors": Team Uddhav's Dare To Eknath Shinde After BMC Result

As resort politics returns to Mumbai after the NDA's big win in the election to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has said the municipal elections are over, but the "real politics is yet to unfold".

The BJP has scored its best tally ever in the BMC polls, and the Thackerays have suffered a setback in what was their bastion, but the spotlight is now on Eknath Shinde, Shiv Sena chief and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister.

Shinde, whose rebellion split the Shiv Sena and toppled the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in 2022, is now an ally of the BJP and has won 29 seats in this civic election. Amid the celebrations and political remarks in the aftermath of the poll results, the Shinde camp started moving its corporators to a five-star hotel in Mumbai, sparking a buzz in the city's political circles.

How Do Numbers Stack Up

Resort politics plays out when election results throw up possibilities of political realignments. To understand Team Shinde's move, let's take a look at how the numbers stack up in the BMC. The majority mark in the 227-ward BMC is 114. The BJP has won 89 seats, and Shiv Sena has 29. Together, they hold 118, well past the majority mark of 114. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party, which contested solo, has won three wards and may likely back its allies.

On the other side, the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and NCP (Sharad Pawar) won 65, six, and one ward, respectively. This adds up to 72. The Congress won 24 wards, AIMIM eight, and the Samajwadi Party two. If the Opposition decides to join ranks, the tally would go up to 106, eight short of the majority. While this is highly unlikely, considering the political positions of these parties, it remains a possibility.

The Horse-Trading Scare

It is against the backdrop of this poll math that Team Shinde does not want to take chances. If the Opposition manages to come together, they need just eight corporators from Mahayuti to switch camps and turn the tables on the BJP.

But is it just the Thackerays that the Shinde Sena is worried about?

According to Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde is actually of the BJP. "Those who had once abandoned a party can do it again," he said. There has been a tussle within the NDA over the Mayor's post. While the BJP wants to make a political point by installing one of its corporators as the Mayor, Shinde is under pressure to claim the top post. Mumbai has had a Sena mayor for decades, and losing it this time would hurt his attempts to appropriate Bal Thackeray's legacy. Shinde had to give up the Chief Minister post after the state polls last year and stay content as Devendra Fadnavis' deputy. Now losing out on the BMC mayor would amount to another loss of face and give ammunition to the Thackerays.

So, political circles in Mumbai are abuzz with chatter over how Team Shinde's resort move is not just to foil the plans of the opposition, but its ally, the BJP.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has, however, said that leaders of the NDA, including him and Shinde, will take a call on the Mayor question.

Team Uddhav's Dare To Shinde

In its Saamana editorial, the Sena (UBT) has thrown a challenge to Team Shinde. "Shiv Sena has given 23 Marathi mayors to Mumbai, will the tradition continue now?" the editorial says, claiming an "open tussle between Chief Minister Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Shinde".

The Thackeray brothers, the editorial says, fought hard for the protection of Mumbai. "The history of this battle for identity will be rewritten anew," it says.

The Sena (UBT) alleged that Fadnavis' confidence of winning the polls came not from development work, but from immense money and power. "This confidence has absolutely nothing to do with development; it is purely about machines, the mantra of money, and pressure tactics," it alleged.

"The municipal elections are over, the results are out. The real politics is yet to unfold," the editorial said, suggesting that the mayoral choice won't be an easy affair.

Interestingly, Uddhav Thackeray told his party workers yesterday that it is his dream to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai. "And if God is willing, this dream will be realised," he said. Responding to the remark, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked jokingly if Thackeray used 'Deva' to refer to him or God. "I am also called 'Deva'; hence, I am asking," he said, adding, "God above has decided that there will be a Mahayuti Mayor."