Mark of respect to Bal Thackeray: Eknath Shinde hints at Shiv Sena claim to Mumbai mayor

"Balasaheb Thackeray's birth centenary year starts from January 23. Some Shivsainiks (party activists) have the feeling that a Shiv Sena mayor should be installed in the BMC," Shinde said.

Mumbai: A section of Shiv Sainiks believes that Mumbai having a Shiv Sena mayor would be a mark of respect to Bal Thackeray in his birth centenary year, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Monday, amid a reported tussle with ally BJP.

Shinde also emphasised that Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor, dismissing reports of new political equations after the results of the civic polls were declared last week.

Similarly, mayors of the Mahayuti alliance will be installed in those civic bodies where the Shiv Sena and BJP had contested the elections together, he told reporters.

"Balasaheb Thackeray's birth centenary year starts from January 23. Some Shivsainiks (party activists) have the feeling that a Shiv Sena mayor should be installed in the BMC," he said.

The remarks are viewed as Shinde indirectly staking a claim to the Mumbai mayor's post.

He stressed that the Shiv Sena would not take any decision that goes against the people's mandate, emphasising that the Shiv Sena and BJP had fought the Mumbai civic elections as an alliance.

His assertion comes amid intense debate over the shifting of 29 corporators-elect of Shiv Sena to a posh hotel in Mumbai after the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance secured a narrow majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

There is speculation that Shinde is keen to secure the BMC mayor’s post for the Shiv Sena—at least for the first two-and-a-half years—since it is the birth centenary year of party founder late Bal Thackeray.

"Shiv Sena and BJP had fought the Mumbai civic elections as an alliance, and therefore the Mahayuti's candidate would become the mayor.

The same decision would be followed in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, and other municipal corporations where the alliance contested jointly," Shinde added.

Officially, the Shiv Sena maintains that the newly elected members were shifted to the hotel for an orientation workshop to make them aware of the functioning of the country's richest civic body.

The move followed the declaration of the BMC poll results, which showed that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had emerged as the second largest party after the BJP by winning 65 seats.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Thackeray had said the Shiv Sena moved the corporators to the hotel as the party is afraid of the BJP.

The BJP won 89 seats and its ally, the Shiv Sena, 29, handing the Mahayuti combine a narrow majority in the 227-member BMC.

Shinde said Mumbaikars had voted for the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance with trust and that trust would be respected.

He also said there was no truth in reports of new political equations being formed in Mumbai or elsewhere in Maharashtra, and the Mahayuti would have the mayoral leadership wherever the alliance had contested together.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam also said the next mayor of Mumbai would be from the ruling Mahayuti alliance and ruled out the possibility of the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate getting the post, days after Thackeray's "God willing" remark on his party getting the mayor's position caused a stir.

In a post on X, Nirupam stated that UBT leaders and sections of the media have grown restless over the mayoral race.

He said voters in Mumbai had rejected Sena (UBT)'s "27 years of corruption" and had given the party a mandate to sit in the opposition.

"The Mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti. The people of Mumbai have given us a clear majority for that," Nirupam said, adding that the ruling alliance did not need the votes of Sena (UBT)'s corporators in the mayoral election.

He also took a swipe at those speculating on the timing of the mayoral poll, saying the election could not be held until the reservation lottery for the Mayor's post was completed.

Meanwhile, Harshal Pradhan, spokesperson of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, said the BJP and Shinde are power-hungry.

He said they should fight their internal battles among themselves and refrain from dragging Sena (UBT) into the political game.