Shinde on edge as race for Mumbai mayor heats up
As the race to pick the next Mumbai Mayor heats up after registering an emphatic win in the Mumbai civic body polls, the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has gone on edgy following a cryptic statement by Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Thackeray on Saturday said his party can have its Mayor in Mumbai if “God is willing”.
Shinde has now swiftly moved all its newly elected corporators to the Taj hotel as day after the alliance of the BJP and rival Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The Eknath Shinde-led outfit contested 90 seats and won 29 in the Mumbai civic polls, results of which were announced on Friday. Shinde's 29 corporators are crucial for the BJP to elect their mayor for the first time in the city.
BJP won 89 and its ally Shinde-led Shiv Sena bagged 29 seats in the BMC elections, while Shiv Sena (UBT) managed 65 and its ally Maharashtra Navnirman Sena six seats. Congress, which fought in alliance with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), bagged 24 seats, AIMIM 8, NCP 3, Samajwadi Party 2, and NCP (SP) got just one seat. A senior party leader said the corporators were moved to a luxury hotel to help them “refresh” after a hectic election season.
The leader, however, gave no clarity on how long the corporators will be housed in the luxury hotel. Another party functionary cited the orientation of newly elected members behind the move, adding the corporators will be housed in the hotel for a couple of days.
The cryptic remark came amid suspense over whether the mayor would be from the BJP or Shinde's party. BJP-Sena combined on Friday wrested the control of the civic body, which the undivided Shiv Sena led by the Thackerays had ruled for 25 years.
“It's my dream to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, and if God is willing, this dream will be realised,” Thackeray said, interacting with party workers.
Attacking Deputy Chief Minister Shinde, who split the Shiv Sena three years ago, he said “traitors” should think “what a sin they have committed.”
According to the final tally, the BJP has won 1,425 out of a total 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations, Shiv Sena 399, Congress 324, NCP 167, Shiv Sena (UBT) 155, NCP (SP) 36, MNS 13, BSP 6, parties registered with the SEC 129, unrecognised parties 196, and 19 independents.
