Negotiations to finalise a power-sharing arrangement in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have moved to New Delhi, highlighting the high stakes surrounding the choice of Mumbai’s next mayor. Despite the Mahayuti securing a clear majority in the civic polls, a deadlock has emerged between alliance partners over the mayor’s post.
Late on Tuesday night, senior leaders of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena held closed-door talks in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale and Mumbai BJP president Amit Satam, with details of the discussions now beginning to emerge.
According to sources, the BJP has asserted its claim to the mayoralty on the strength of its 89 corporators, making it the single largest party in the BMC. The Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which has 29 corporators, has positioned itself as a crucial ally and placed a set of political and symbolic demands before its partner.
The Shinde faction has proposed a rotational arrangement, seeking a two-and-a-half-year mayoral term for each party, with the first term going to the Shiv Sena. Leaders from the camp have argued that the upcoming birth centenary year of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, beginning on January 23, makes it symbolically important for Mumbai’s mayor to be from the Sena. Rahul Shewale is learnt to have strongly pressed this demand during the talks.
The BJP, however, has conveyed a firm message from its central leadership that there can be no compromise on the mayor’s post. Senior party leaders are said to have communicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that, as the largest party, the BJP has a natural claim to the mayoralty.
At the same time, the BJP has signalled that if it retains the mayor’s post, it is willing to offer the Shinde-led Sena substantial control over key civic bodies. These include influential committees such as the Standing Committee and the Improvements Committee, which play a decisive role in financial clearances and major infrastructure projects.
Beyond the mayor’s post, the Delhi meeting also saw discussions on the distribution of other powerful positions within the BMC. Both sides have proposed names for the chairperson posts of the Health and Education Committees, and there was also a push for constituting a special committee to fast-track stalled redevelopment projects across Mumbai.
The civic calendar ahead is tight. The lottery for mayoral reservation is scheduled for January 22, followed by Balasaheb Thackeray’s birth anniversary on January 23. The mayoral election is expected to be held around January 31.
Sources indicate that the Mahayuti is likely to announce its official mayoral candidate in the days following the reservation draw, as negotiations enter their final phase.
