By Admin 
After the elections of 29 metropolitan municipalities in Maharashtra, politics is taking a new turn with the results of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Even though no one party has clearly got the power of the Municipal Corporation on the basis of numbers, the key to reach the post of Mayor is currently in the hands of Shiv Sena Chief and Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. In the current political situation, the role of Shinde faction has emerged as ‘kingmaker’.
The support of 114 councilors is necessary for majority in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. According to the election results, BJP has emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, but it is 25 seats away from the majority. Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has 29 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray faction has got 65 seats. Congress has got 24 seats, AIMIM 8 and MNS 6 seats.
In this mathematics, if BJP and Shinde Shiv Sena come together, they will have a total of 118 councilors, which crosses the majority figure. This is the reason why the consent of Shinde group is being considered decisive in the mayor’s election.
BMC Elections: Why the need to send Jeet Alliance councilors to hotel?
Amidst this political importance, Eknath Shinde has shifted all his 29 councilors to a five star hotel in Bandra area of Mumbai. The party fears that there may be attempts to sabotage the councilors i.e. horse trading. However, from the Shinde faction it has been officially described as a three-day workshop.
According to party leaders, in this workshop the councilors are being given information about the functioning of BMC, administrative procedures and development plans. Shinde faction leader Rahul Shewale says that this meeting has been organized in connection with the strategy for the upcoming local body elections and preparation of programs for the birth centenary of Balasaheb Thackeray.
Is BJP upset with these demands of Shiv Sena?
Amidst all this, questions are being raised in political circles that when Bharatiya Janata Party and Shinde Sena fought the elections together, then what happened now that councilors had to be sent to hotels.
If sources are to be believed, before the mayor elections, Shinde Sena has also put forward its major demands before the alliance. According to sources, Shinde faction wants that the five-year mayor tenure should be divided into two and a half years, in which the first two and a half years will be their mayor.
Apart from this, he is also eyeing the post of Chairman of the Standing Committee, considered the most powerful of BMC. Shinde Sena is demanding a share in the ratio of 2:1 in the formation of committees.
What did CM Devendra Fadnavis say on BMC?
On this entire incident, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis says that there will be no horse trading of any kind. He has clarified that the final decision regarding the mayor will be taken by BJP and Shinde Shiv Sena together and the administration of Mumbai will be given stability. At the same time, Shiv Sena UBT President Uddhav Thackeray, while commenting on the recent situation, has raised questions on the political working style of BJP.
Overall, the balance of power in BMC is such that the selection of the mayor does not seem possible without the support of the Shinde faction. The talks regarding enclosure of councillors, terms of power sharing and posts have made it clear that the next decision of the Mumbai government largely depends on the strategy and consent of Eknath Shinde.