Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said the next mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti alliance, pushing back against calls from ally Bharatiya Janata Party for a fixed two-and-a-half-year rotation for the post, and signalling that the ruling bloc intends to present a united front as civic politics in Maharashtra enters a decisive phase.Shinde’s clarification came hours after the BJP publicly urged his Shiv Sena faction to honour a rotational arrangement for the mayor’s position in the Thane Municipal Corporation, an appeal that quickly widened into questions about the leadership of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, India’s richest civic body and a prize with significant political and financial influence. By asserting that the mayor will represent Mahayuti as a whole, Shinde sought to dampen speculation of internal bargaining that could spill into open friction ahead of local body polls expected later this year.
The statement underscores the delicate balance within Mahayuti, which brings together the BJP, Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. While the alliance has governed the state since mid-2022 and consolidated power after the 2024 assembly elections, municipal corporations remain key battlegrounds where party identities and local cadres matter as much as coalition arithmetic.
Shinde signals alliance unity on Mumbai mayoralty, he said, framing the issue as one of collective representation rather than individual party entitlement. According to leaders familiar with the discussions, the message was intended to reassure alliance partners that negotiations would be handled internally while also projecting stability to voters and civic administrators.
The immediate trigger was the BJP’s demand that Shiv Sena adhere to a two-and-a-half-year power-sharing formula for the mayor’s post at the Thane civic body, where both parties are partners. BJP leaders argued that such an arrangement had precedent and helped prevent concentration of power, particularly in corporations that control large budgets and urban planning decisions. Shiv Sena functionaries countered that local equations and electoral strength should guide leadership choices rather than rigid formulas.
Mumbai’s civic body looms even larger. With an annual budget exceeding ₹50,000 crore and oversight of infrastructure, health services and urban transport, the BMC has historically been a bastion of the undivided Shiv Sena. Control of the mayor’s office has symbolic value and practical leverage, especially as the city navigates redevelopment projects, coastal road expansion and climate resilience measures.
Shinde’s camp has been careful to avoid language that suggests a break with the BJP. Senior Shiv Sena leaders aligned with the deputy chief minister said the clarification was not a rebuke but an attempt to keep discussions from becoming public disputes. They stressed that Mahayuti would decide mayoral candidates through consensus, taking into account electoral performance, cadre strength and governance priorities.
Within the BJP, reactions were measured. Party leaders reiterated the importance of clarity on power-sharing to maintain trust among allies but avoided escalating the matter. They pointed to the alliance’s broader success at the state level as evidence that differences could be managed without undermining governance.
Political analysts say the episode highlights a recurring tension in coalition politics: balancing dominant partners’ expectations with the need to preserve smaller allies’ influence. In Maharashtra’s urban centres, where civic elections are fought on local issues such as roads, water supply and housing approvals, alliances face the added challenge of aligning grassroots workers who compete as much as they cooperate.
The Mahayuti leadership is also mindful of the legal and administrative context. Many municipal corporations, including Mumbai and Thane, have been without elected bodies for extended periods, run instead by administrators after terms expired. As elections approach, decisions on mayoral leadership are being watched closely by aspirants and contractors alike, adding to the stakes.