Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Devendra Fadnavis’s efforts really paid off well, these are unexpected results. Still, those who are calling BMC elections as battle should realize that, Congress, NCP and MNS are nowhere in the race. Certain parts of Mumbai especially central areas are Shiv Sena stronghold, while North and South Mumbai are BJP’s bastions. Residents of the city are looking for a change for sure. Let’s see what people have expected and what these parties are going to deliver. As expected, Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party in BMC, winning 84 seats, closely followed by the BJP with 82, as results for 227 seats came in. This was a major gain for BJP in the Maharashtra civic polls, even as it was in a neck-and-neck fight with the Shiv Sena. The BJP emerged victorious in Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Akola, Amravati, Ulhasnagar and Pimpri-Chinchwad Corporations. Shiv Sena is set to retain power in Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), where it has captured 60 of the 131 seats.
Shiv Sena has damaged its own image by indulging in mindless and most selfish propaganda war against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi when it has no qualms in sharing power with BJP in both the state and the centre. One fails to understand, why Uddhav Thackeray fails to see shortcomings in other parties and their party men but keep criticising its own ally everyday. Now after these results, they have left with no option but to go for an alliance with BJP. Rather Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut issued harsh statements about not making any alliance at the initial stage of seat announcement. However, in later half he had to face embarrassment. Sena activists celebrated earlier in the day as it appeared it was set to take control of the BMC but it finished with just 84 of the 227 seats. The BJP came close by winning 82 seats.
Sena is known for corruption in BMC whereas BJP leadership assured transparency and honesty and shown it in state as well as in centre as compared to any other party. Ground reality might be different but so far none of their leader is caught in scam or corruption. There is no harm in saying, BJP’s strength have gone very high in the Lok Sabha elections followed by assembly polls. Sena is washout in Pune, Nashik and Nagpur corporations. India will flourish under BJP. Election winning is nothing but, how accurately you are judging the mood of the public. It has nothing to do with corruption and anti-corruption issue. What voters want, have been reflected in the election results. One more point is proven that the demonetisation is not the blunder of Modi but the failure of public maturity. Unknowingly, common public moved against the very intention of the move. BMC poll results are evident.
The BMC election is held once in five years. The last election was held in 2012. The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance had swept the BMC election in 2012, but five years later Sena is still a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre. Both parties are contesting election singlehandedly and in the process launching sharp, vitriolic attacks on each other. It all started with the BJP, the junior partner in the alliance, asking for a lion’s share of seats to contest the BMC election. The BJP, buoyed by Narendra Modi wave, wanted no less than 114 seats of the 227 seats in the municipal corporation.
Shiv Sena has been in power since 1992. Sena and BJP entered into an alliance in 1997 with the latter always as the junior partner. The two parties contested all the subsequent BMC election as alliance partners till 2012. For the first time in 20 years, they separately contested the BMC election. The alliance was snapped on Republic Day. Anyway, now none of them can stick to what they said or decided for, as both have no other option than going for an alliance.
Established in 1872, BMC is one of the most important establishments in Mumbai’s history. It is the country’s first municipal corporation. The elected head of the corporation was called chairman from 1873 to 1887. It was changed to president between 1887 and 1931. Finally, from November 1931, the elected representative has been called as the mayor. BMC is headed by a municipal commissioner who is an IAS officer. The civic body’s annual budget of Rs 37,052-crore (2016-17) is larger than all the other three metro cities – Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. The budget allocation for the municipal corporation of Delhi was Rs 6,919; for Greater Chennai Corporation Rs 5,123.51 crore and for Kolkata Municipal Corporation 3,793 crore for the same year. BMC budget is also more than that of some of the smaller states of India, such as Tripura (15,246.52 crore), Manipur (Rs 3,950.92 crore), Mizoram (Rs 8,038.39 crore), Nagaland (Rs 13,658.74 crore) and Sikkim (Rs 5884.43 crore).
Captain George F Henry was BMC’s first head (chairman) in 1873. He was succeeded by JA Forbes the next year. During the turn of century in 1900-01, CT Burke was its president.
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