The high-stake election of Mumbai’s civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the richest municipal corporation in the country, is scheduled to take place this year and the final dates for the same could be announced anytime now.
In the run up to the crucial polls, the BJP seems to be in an upbeat mode with its victory in the Rajya Sabha election against Shiv Sena. Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly and former CM Devendra Fadnavis said that BJP’s victory in Rajya Sabha poll is the beginning, adding that the party will contest on its own the Assembly and other elections.
Meanwhile, the timing of the poll that is now most certainly to take place after the monsoon, a season during which the civic body is under fire by the Mumbaikars for poor condition of roads, flooding, water-logging and poor drainage system, might be a matter of concern for the Shiv Sena that leads the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.
The timing of PM Modi’s Maharashtra visit and Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray’s Ayodhya visit also seems to have some oblique connection to the upcoming BMC polls.
On the other hand, campaigning for Congress, that shares power in the ruling alliance, is yet to take off and several senior party leaders have raised concern over the same, Indian Express reported.
BJP in upbeat mode for BMC poll
BJP’s victory in the recent Rajya Sabha elections against Shiv Sena has boosted the moral of its cadre ahead BMC elections slated to take place at the end of this year.
While the BMC has been ruled by the Shiv Sena for over 25 years with the support of its now-former ally BJP, and is still independently ruled by the Sena, in the last BMC poll in 2017, the Saffron party for the first time won 82 seats against the 85 seats of the Shiv Sena in the 227-member body.
Former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and LoP in Maharashtra assembly has said that BJP’s victory in Rajya Sabha poll is the beginning. “BJP will contest on its own the Assembly and other elections,” Indian Express report quoted him as saying.
In-charge of BJP’s BMC polls, Ashish Shelar, said that besides BMC, there are 10 urban local body elections where BJP’s performance will be better than others.
BMC poll after monsoon could be a bad news for Shiv Sena
While the delayed poll is set to take place later this year, the Shiv Sena winning streak of over two decades might see some troubles as the election is now scheduled to be held in September-October after the monsoons, that time of the year when the BMC is in the eye of the storm for mismanagement during the season that sees massive water-logging, damaged roads and flooding throughout the city.
Sena minister Aaditya Thackeray admitted as much when, after a meeting on the BMC’s monsoon preparation, he said, “If there is 200 mm rain in a single day, Mumbai is bound to face flash floods. You cannot stop nature’s fury.”
Besides, the party face the fury of opposition BJP on several key issues like the failure to restore OBC reservation as alleged by it or the poor condition of roads.
Modi’s Mumbai trip today, Aaditya’s Ayodhya tour tomorrow: Are these mere visits?
While PM Modi is on a day-long Maharashtra visit on Tuesday to inaugrate a temple in Pune and then unveil a Gallery of Revolutionaries in Mumbai, Sena’s Aaditya Thackeray is scheduled to visit Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on June 15.
PM Modi landed in Pune on Tuesday and inaugurated the shila temple in city’s Dehu and will proceed to Mumbai later to take part in other events. In Mumbai, PM Modi will inaugurate the Jal Bhushan Building, the official residence of the Maharashtra governor since 1885, and Gallery of Revolutionaries at Raj Bhawan. In the evening, PM Modi will participate in Dwishatabdi Mahotsav on the occasion of 200 years of Mumbai Samachar at Bandra Kurla Complex.
While PM Modi’s Maharashtra visit is bound to boost BJP’s campaign for the BMC polls, Aaditya Thackeray’s visit to the Ram Temple on June 15 in the pilgrimage town comes also becomes significant in the run-up to the crucial BMC poll as the Saffron party, its ally-turned-arch rival, is mounting a tough challenge to the party in the upcoming elections to the civic body.
While the Sena has denied any political connection in Aaditya’s Ayodhya visit, maintaining that its leaders and “sainiks (party members)” have often gone on a pilgrimage to the holy town in the past, the trip seems to be planned to counter Uddhav Thackeray’s estranged cousin Raj Thackeray’s pitch on Hindutva.
Sena leadership clearly planned Aaditya’s Ayodhya tour to reaffirm the party’s Hindutva credentials and counter Raj’s Hindutva drive.
The Ayodhya trip is being seen as a move to reach out to North Indians, who make up about 20 per cent voters in Mumbai. The ruling party reckons that the North Indian vote may prove to be critical in its bid to retain power in the BMC, reports said.
Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirmal Sena (MNS) poses a big challenge for the Shiv Sena with its Hindutva pitch, especially after its recent stand on seeking a ban on the use of loudspeakers for azaan at mosques, followed by announcement of his Ayodhya trip.
Congress campaign yet to take off
While the BJP and the Shiv Sena have been publicly facing each other off with allegations and counter allegations, Congress campaign is yet to take off and several senior party leaders have raised concern over the same, reports said.
Last month, while around 150 members of the Mumbai Congress executive committee met HK Patil, the AICC secretary in charge of Maharashtra, and three secretaries — Ashish Dua, Sampat Kumar and Sonal Patel — along with other office bearers, there was no specific discussion on the upcoming BMC polls.
“The polls were on day’s agenda and ideally the poll strategy should have been discussed, but it did not happen and now this will be done later,” The New Indian Express quoted a Mumbai Congress functionary as saying. He further said that as elections are due sometime in September-October, “we barely have time.’’
A senior party leader that while the party must unite, he hoped that the Gandhi family comes to campaign for the elections in the city. “There are various factions in the Mumbai Congress. Bhai Jagtap who is the president of Mumbai regional Congress committee, must now try to take all of them together. In the last elections, the Gandhi family did not participate actively. This time around, we wish they come to Mumbai for campaign,” the leader was quoted as saying.
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