MUMBAI: In a major decision, the Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday cleared a proposal to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act for the appointment of an administrator for the civic body, which has been controlled by the Shiv Sena for nearly three decades.
The amendment has become necessary after the State Election Commission (SEC) opined that upcoming elections cannot be held for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (in due time) because of various reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic, an official said.
The tenure of the current BMC administration is ending on March 7, the official said.
The last BMC election was held on February 21, 2017, in which ruling Shiv Sena had bagged 84 seats and BJP 82 in the 227-member body.
"Since there is no provision to appoint an administrator for the civic body in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act 1888, it has been decided to amend it to enable the state to appoint the administrator," the official said.
This proposal was drafted by the state Urban Development Department.
Elections are due in the next few months for the Mumbai civic body, believed to be the richest in India, and other municipal corporations in the state.
Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray chaired the cabinet meeting attended by his ministerial colleagues.
"The SEC has cited reasons like COVID-19 situation, restructuring of wards as the number of corporators has increased. The tenure of the current administration is ending on March 7," the official said.
The appointment of administrator after the amendment will be effective till the date when the first meeting of the newly-elected Mumbai civic body takes place, he added.
This decision comes at a time when elections are scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur from February 10 till March 7 and the result will be announced on March 10.
Many voters in Mumbai hail from Uttar Pradesh, the key state going to the polls in phases.
The Shiv Sena, which considers Mumbai as its bastion and once known for its hardliner "sons-of-the-soil" brand of politics, had ceded this place to some extent to Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena over the last decade.
The Shiv Sena currently shares power in Maharashtra with NCP and Congress.
Among other decisions taken on Wednesday, the state cabinet also cleared a proposal to build a 'Mahiti (information) Bhavan' in every district headquarter to strengthen communication with people.
This project will be implemented by the General Administration (Department) and the Directorate of General Information and Public Relations, an official said.
The cabinet also decided to implement the Thakkar Bappa Tribal Development scheme, the official added.