The Maha Picture | BJP Sees ‘Golden Chance’ to Wrest Cash-Rich BMC as Congress Keeps Thackeray Guessing

With the Supreme Court asking the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker to rule on the disqualification petition filed by Uddhav Thackeray against Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 15 other MLAs for their revolt that split the Shiv Sena, the ruling faction and ally BJP have been comfortably assured of the government’s stability. With this, the saffron party has now turned its attention to the Mumbai civic polls coming up later this year.

The BJP had leapfrogged from 31 to 82 seats in the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, but lost the single-largest party position by a whisker to the Thackeray-led united Shiv Sena which won 84 of the 227 seats. With the Shiv Sena split into Shinde and Thackeray factions, the BJP has sensed a “golden opportunity” to bag the richest civic body in India which has been ruled by the undivided Shiv Sena for more than 30 years.

BMC elections have been due for more than a year now with the term of the corporators elected in 2017 ending in March last year. The polls were first postponed in view of the rising Covid-19 cases in Mumbai and then with the Maharashtra Legislature deferring civic and local elections till OBC quotas are restored in the state.

The Assembly then passed a bill in both houses to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act 1888, enabling the appointment of an administrator to the civic body, a first since 1984. For the last one year, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Chahal has been running the show as the administrator.

Following party president JP Nadda’s recent two-day tour of the state during which he held several meetings, Mumbai BJP leaders launched ‘Mumbai 150’ mission for the BMC election. The Mumbai unit of the party is confident Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction won’t get the required numbers to be able to appoint its mayor.

The BJP has asked party workers to reach out to the people in their wards and explain how BMC has become a “hotspot of corruption” under Uddhav Thackeray. The workers have been told to explain to the public that it was because of the BJP’s support that Thackeray had so far managed to appoint a mayor of his choice.

Along with campaigning for BMC elections, the party will also canvass for 2024 Lok Sabha elections, popularising the benefits of Narendra Modi government schemes in every BMC ward.

In 2017, the BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had fought the BMC elections separately despite having an alliance at the Centre and state level. The Shiv Sena won 84 seats and the BJP won 82, despite which the latter supported Thackeray’s choice for the mayoral post. The election results, however, had marked a significant shift in Sena-BJP dynamics with the saffron party adding 51 new seats to its tally while the former managed only nine new seats.

Mindful of the challenge it faces, the Shiv Sena-UBT too has started gearing up for BMC elections, its first electoral test since the split in the party ousted the Thackerays from power. According to sources, the party will fight the BMC elections under the leadership of Aditya Thackeray.

There is also some suspense on whether Shiv Sena-UBT, Congress and NCP – constituents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition – will fight the elections together. In the last MVA meeting that took place immediately after the Congress swept the Karnataka elections, there were discussions that the three parties may contest together. But Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole’s remarks that the party is prepared to go solo has muddied the waters.

Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap has said the high command’s decision will be final. When taking charge while the MVA government was in power, he had advocated for fighting the BMC elections alone, but now Jagtap is of the opinion that one should always consider the “change” in the situation.

The Congress tally in 2017 dropped by 21 seats compared to previous election and stood at 31 seats. It’s performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Maharashtra Assembly elections wasn’t too impressive either. Some Congress leaders feel the demand to go solo in BMC elections in these circumstances may not bode well ahead of the 2024 battle, for either the party or opposition unity.

Karnataka may have given the party a morale boost, but Maharashtra is a different ball-game. It’s the last electoral contest in the state before the 2024 General Elections and no party can afford to drop the ball.