BJP withdraws from BMC mayoral poll, paves way for Shiv Sena

The party will work as a watchdog for transparency in the administration of the civic body

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday withdrew from elections to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). 

The party will instead work as a watchdog for transparency in the BMC’s administration. 

The mayoral election is slated for March 8, which coincides with polling for the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

This has paved the way for the election of the Shiv Sena candidate, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, as the city mayor.

The decision was announced by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after the BJP’s core committee meeting. He said the party would also not contest elections to civic committees. All the committees will be headed by the Shiv Sena and the other parties will be represented depending on their respective strength.

The BJP will also not stake claim to the post of leader of the opposition and it will not play the role of the opposition in the newly elected 227-member BMC. 

Fadnavis said the party would support the Shiv Sena in the mayoral election. The party will also help the Shiv Sena to improve transparency in administration.

The Shiv Sena won 84 seats of the BMC and subsequently mobilised support from four independents. The BJP came second by winning 82 seats and received support from two independents. The Congress won 31 seats, NCP 9, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena 7 and Samajwadi Party 6.

The chief minister’s announcement comes on the eve of the budget session of the state legislature, which begins on March 6. Fadnavis has also hinted that his government is stable and does not see any threat despite the Shiv Sena’s recent claims that the government was on notice. 

Fadnavis announced the formation of a three-member committee comprising former bureaucrats Sharad Kale, Gautam Chatterjee and Ramnath Jha to suggest ways to make BMC’s administration more transparent. He said the government would request the Lok Ayukta to depute officials to look into the affairs of Mumbai city. This may help the government tighten its control over the functioning of BMC.

Shiv Sena leader and state transport minister Divakare Raote welcomed Fadnavis’ announcement, saying the BJP had accepted the mandate of Mumbaikars. He said this would help the Shiv Sena win the mayoral post for the fifth time in a row.