MUMBAI: After earlier asserting his position by demanding an equal sharing of the Mumbai mayor’s post and significant representation in key Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) committees, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday said that he had not placed any demand before the BJP and that there was no dispute over posts or positions.
In the recently held 227-member BMC elections, the BJP won 89 seats, while the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena secured 29 seats. Shiv Sena (UBT) won 65 seats, Congress 20, AIMIM eight, MNS six, NCP three, and the Samajwadi Party two.
The BJP fell short of a simple majority of 114 seats, but with Shiv Sena’s 29 seats, the Mahayuti alliance has a total of 118 seats and is in a position to form the government.
Earlier, Shinde had asserted his position and reportedly demanded either the Mumbai mayor’s post or the chairmanship of the Standing Committee or Improvement Committee as part of a power-sharing formula. He had also shifted his newly elected corporators to a hotel at Taj Lands End in Bandra, a western suburb of Mumbai.
However, the BJP refused to concede to his demands and indicated that it could seek support from other parties to form the BMC government if required. The BJP maintained that it would not agree to any such demands.
After realising the BJP’s firm stand, Shinde accepted the situation and clarified that there were no differences between him and the BJP. He said that the BJP and Shiv Sena would soon stake a joint claim to form the BMC government.
“The people of Mumbai have given a mandate in favour of the Mahayuti by responding positively to its development agenda. We will respect the mandate of Mumbaikars. Rumours are being spread, which should not be believed. A similar situation existed in 2019, when similar rumours were floated. The next mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti only,” Shinde said.
He added that the BJP and Shiv Sena had contested the BMC elections together and would therefore form the government together, not Shiv Sena alone. “We fought together in Mumbai and in other civic bodies as well. Hence, the Mahayuti will form the government,” he said.
Shinde said that no power-sharing formula had been finalised yet. “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has gone to Davos. Once he returns, we will sit together and decide on the next mayor of Mumbai. There is no dispute between the BJP and Shiv Sena over any post, including the mayor’s position or committee posts,” he said.
“We are not people who fight for power. We are here to serve the people. We contested this election for the development of Mumbaikars. Our alliance with the BJP is not for bargaining, and our target is not power but public service,” Shinde added.
Clarifying the stay of Shiv Sena corporators at the hotel, he said they were brought together for a workshop so that they could work more effectively over the next five years. He added that once the newly elected corporators elect their group leader on Tuesday, they would return to their respective constituencies.