MUMBAI: The BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS are at loggerheads over Mumbai's next Mayor's identity.
The BJP states that the next Mayor of Mumbai will be from their party and that he/she will be a Hindu Marathi, while the Thackeray brothers are claiming that they will retain the power in BMC and the next Mayor of Mumbai will be from their party and will be a Marathi person.
According to the BMC records, Shiv Sena got its first Marathi mayor named Dr Hemchandra Gupte, in 1971, and then Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Joshi was made the Mumbai Mayor from 1973 to 74.
In between, the Congress chose the non-Marathi mayor BK Behram in 1974 and NG Mehta in 1975-75. Shiv Sena again appointed Wamanrao Mahadik as its mayor for Mumbai in 1978. Then, there were no Marathi mayors between 1980 to 1984.
The BMC records further read that Chhagan Bhujbal from Shiv Sena was made the mayor of Mumbai from 1985 to 86 period. Shiv Sena consecutively appointed different mayors till 1992.
Then, the Congress was in power for the next three years, and they appointed two Marathi and one non-Marathi mayor of Mumbai during the period.
In 1996, Shiv Sena came into power again and appointed Milind Vaidya as its mayor, who was a Marathi. Vishakha Raut and Nandu Satam served between 1997 to 98 and 1998 to 99, respectively.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena and BJP made an alliance, and the state government brought the Mayor in council, where the mayor and his team were empowered to take executive decisions for the city.
Nandu Satam was the first Mayor in the council for Mumbai, and then, as per the power-sharing equation, the deputy mayor appointment decision was made such that the post always went to the BJP in BMC in 1998.
BJP chose non-Marathi Gopal Shetty as deputy mayor of Mumbai, and along with him, other BJP corporators were appointed in the council, including Rajesh Sharma and Sardar Tarasingh, both non-Marathis.
Since then BJP continued to choose the Marathi name as Mayor, but the BJP majority of the time chose non-Marathi candidates as deputy mayor and, exceptionally, chose a Marathi as deputy mayor.
As per the BMC records, the BJP nine times, chose a non Marathi as deputy mayor while it chose Marathi as deputy mayor seven times.
The majority of the BJP's non-Marathi deputy mayors were Gujarati, followed by North Indian and South Indian. BJP's first non-Marathi deputy mayor was Gopal Shetty, then Gujarati Ram Barot. Arun Deo, a Marathi, was appointed as deputy mayor twice.
A senior BJP leader said it is true that the BJP always gave priority to non-Marathi while elevating them in the BMC.
"BJP's core voters are Gujarati-Marwari, while Shiv Sena focuses on Marathi people. Each one tried to protect their vote bank by appointing their respective community people to high posts in the BMC. As the Thackeray brothers' BMC polls campaign is Marathi voters-centric, now, each party, mainly the BJP and Shiv Sena (UBT), is promising a Marathi as mayor. Initially, the BJP was not committed to a Marathi mayor as their leaders were claiming a 'Hindu Mayor', but now, they are adding a 'Hindu Marathi' Mayor. Sadly, the core issues are sidelined due to this identity politics," said one of the former deputy mayors of the BJP in BMC, requesting anonymity.
Notably, Uddhav Thackeray said that the BJP does not consider Marathi as Hindu, therefore they are using this Hindu Marathi mayom.
