BMC mayor post: Why Eknath Shinde has moved his leaders in resort - number game explained

Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena connected Saturday decided to displacement each its 29 recently elected Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporators to a luxury edifice successful Mumbai, successful a highly antithetic lawsuit of “resort politics” being deployed successful a civic assemblage election. The determination came contempt the Sena and its ally, the

BJP

, securing a wide bulk by winning 118 of the 227 seats successful the BMC, ending the Thackeray family’s implicit two-decade-long clasp connected the country’s richest civic body.So, what led to this decision?Shiv Sena (UBT) stirs the potEarlier successful the day, erstwhile Maharashtra main curate Uddhav Thackeray, whose Shiv Sena (UBT) came 2nd with 65 seats contempt being severely weakened by the June 2022 divided successful the past undivided Shiv Sena, made a veiled remark, saying his enactment could person its ain politician successful the BMC, “God willing.""It's my imagination to instal a Shiv Sena (UBT) politician successful Mumbai, and if 'Dev' (God) is willing, this imagination volition beryllium realised," PTI quoted Thackeray, interacting with enactment workers.If Uddhav kept cards adjacent to his chest, his second-in-command, Sanjay Raut, was much direct. Raut pointed retired that the enactment inactive has important numbers successful the Mumbai civic assemblage and, unneurotic with different parties, could “topple” the victors.“We tin topple them from the seat anytime, but we respect democracy,” the Rajya Sabha subordinate remarked.What numbers sayTogether, non-BJP/Shiv Sena parties person 109 corporators, conscionable 5 abbreviated of the bulk mark.

With the BJP firmly established arsenic the largest party, and fixed Maharashtra’s agelong past of politicians switching sides frequently—something Shinde himself has benefited from—the lawman main curate finds himself vulnerable.His vulnerability besides stems from different factor.Shinde's 'mayoral' headacheThe Shiv Sena’s divided led to the illness of the Uddhav Thackeray government, aft which Shinde joined hands with the BJP, which elevated him to the station of main minister.

The elevation came astatine Fadnavis’ expense, who was made lawman main curate contempt having earlier served arsenic main curate and contempt publically announcing that helium would enactment retired of the government. The roles were reversed aft the 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, with Shinde besides losing retired connected the coveted location portfolio, which stayed with Fadnavis, who had besides held it arsenic lawman CM.Now, Shinde faces the existent anticipation of the Shiv Sena being denied the Mumbai mayor’s station arsenic well—one the BJP would beryllium reluctant to cede.

A fewer disgruntled Sena corporators, including aspirants to the mayor’s post, and astatine slightest immoderate from the flock could effort a “ghar wapsi.”Officially, the enactment maintains that the corporators are being shifted to a luxury edifice successful Bandra to let them to “refresh” themselves aft a hectic predetermination season.On his part, Fadnavis took a lighter presumption of the situation: “I americium besides called ‘Deva’… God supra has decided that determination volition beryllium a Mahayuti (BJP-Shiv Sena alliance) mayor.”With the stakes high, the coming days would uncover whether Shinde yet has his way. Or else, interior dissent cannot beryllium ruled out.