Shinde Sena Corrals Corporators to Five-Star Hotel Post BMC Results
Even as part of the victorious Mahayuti alliance, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has begun moving its newly elected corporators to a luxury hotel in Mumbai. This move signals clear unease within the alliance as power negotiations with the Bharatiya Janata Party intensify.
Hotel Stay Planned for Several Days
By Saturday evening, twenty-nine Shiv Sena corporators and several party leaders had arrived at the Taj Lands End hotel in Bandra. They are expected to remain there for the next few days while crucial discussions unfold.
Party sources reveal that corporators were initially told they were attending a routine meeting. However, the actual plan involves keeping them at the hotel for approximately three days. This coincides with ongoing backchannel talks with the BJP regarding power-sharing arrangements.
Discussions focus on two key levels:- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
- The state administration
Precautionary Measure or Political Strategy?
A senior Shiv Sena functionary, speaking anonymously, explained the reasoning. With Bal Thackeray's birth anniversary approaching, corporators are determined to secure the mayor's post in the BMC as a tribute to the party founder. This objective makes the current exercise necessary.
"This was a precautionary step to keep the group together while talks with alliance partners continue," stated a Sena leader, defending the decision to relocate corporators.
BMC Numbers Create Delicate Balance
The election results have created a complex arithmetic in the BMC. The BJP emerged as the largest party with eighty-nine seats in the 227-member House. However, it remains short of the majority mark of 114 needed to form the civic government.
The Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, secured twenty-nine seats. This makes its support absolutely crucial for the BJP to govern Mumbai's coveted civic body.
Senior Shiv Sena leaders confirm that discussions will cover critical power-sharing issues. These include the mayor's post and control of the Standing Committee, which handles the civic body's substantial finances.
BJP Calls It Sena's Internal Matter
The BJP has responded to the hotel move by calling it an internal matter of the Shiv Sena. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed the situation directly.
"There is no question of horse trading or poaching," Fadnavis stated. "I think they must have called all the corporators to a hotel as we have called all our corporators for a meeting."
Pressure Tactics Extend Beyond Mumbai
While the Shinde-led Sena is expected to drive a hard bargain for key BMC posts, the BJP is applying its own pressure. The party has signaled it could sit in opposition in other municipal corporations where the Sena holds an advantage.
In Thane, considered Eknath Shinde's pocket borough, his party won seventy-five of the 131 seats. This gives them a clear majority without needing BJP support. Despite this, the BJP, which won twenty-eight seats, says it may choose to sit in opposition if denied a meaningful role in civic administration.
BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar emphasized the party's stance. "If we do not get proper respect in the civic setup, we will have to think differently. Sitting in the opposition is also an option," he stated.
BJP leader Niranjan Davkhare echoed this sentiment. "We have responsibilities towards the people who voted for us. If needed, we can sit in the opposition and ensure that the administration functions properly."
Kalyan Dombivli Presents Another Close Contest
The situation remains tense in the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation as well. Results there were extremely close. The Shinde-led Sena won fifty-two seats in the 122-member House, just one more than the BJP's fifty-one.
With no party crossing the majority mark, negotiations continue. BJP leaders in the region argue that given their near-equal strength, the party should be allowed to attempt forming the civic government.
These parallel negotiations across multiple municipal corporations create a complex political landscape in Maharashtra. The hotel stay for Mumbai corporators represents just one visible aspect of the intense bargaining underway.
