Mumbai: The race for the next mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has entered an interesting stage with the reservation lottery scheduled for January 22. The results of this lottery will shape the major political parties’ strategy ahead of the formal mayoral election.
What makes this lottery all the more interesting is that it has not yet been determined whether the post will be open, reserved for women, SC/ST or OBC categories.
The Mahayuti alliance — comprising BJP and Eknath Shinde-headed Shiv Sena faction — emerged as the dominant force in the civic polls, securing a combined 118 seats out of 227. Be that as it may, the outcome for the mayor’s post remains uncertain until the lottery decides the reservation category.
With chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis currently in Davos (Switzerland) for the World Economic Forum, the focus has shifted to the strategy to be adopted by all major players – BJP, Shinde Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP factions and Congress — after the reservation lottery is held. This, despite the fact that both Fadnavis and Shinde have indicated that the mayoral post will be filled by a Mahayuti candidate, given the alliance’s strength.
After Uddhav Sena posed a stiff challenge to the Mahayuti alliance, Uddhav Thackeray indicated that his party hopes to instal a UBT mayor “if God wills,” showing that the fact battle for mayor’s post is still open.
As of now, there’s no indication that Uddhav will support Fadnavis or the BJP for the mayoral post. On the contrary, recent remarks and political positioning indicate there is no love lost between the two alliances. In fact, Fadnavis has publicly ruled out future political alignment with Uddhav’s Sena faction, stating that the Mahayuti does not need the MVA or Uddhav to ensure political victories.
As Mumbai anxiously awaits its next mayor, all eyes are on the January 22 reservation lottery.
