MUMBAI, Jan 17: Mumbai is likely to get a mayor only after January 26 due to the various commitments of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as well as other factors, official sources said here on Saturday.
According to sources, Fadnavis left for the Davos Investment Summit on Friday night and will return only on January 25, due to which the election to the Mumbai Mayor’s post is expected to take place after his return.
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There are also other factors at work. Sources said that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena plans to stake its claim to the Mumbai mayor’s post. Contesting or conceding such claims or arriving at a consensus about the Mumbai Mayor’s post is going to take some time even after Fadnavis’ returns to Mumbai, sources said.
Besides, there is also a reservation-based lottery system, which will decide who gets to become the Mumbai Mayor.
In order to get a majority and be eligible to elect the Mayor of Mumbai, a party or alliance needs to win at least 114 Municipal Corporation wards.
As things stand, the BJP has emerged as the single-largest party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), winning 89 wards out of a total of 227 Municipal Corporation Wards, while its ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has won 29 Wards in the BMC. Taken together, the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has won 118 wards in the BMC.
The winning party or alliance decides which party’s candidate will get the Mayor’s post. The process is more or less similar to how the Prime Minister or Chief Ministers are elected from the elected members of legislatures, with one big difference: there is a lottery system that considers reserved categories when it comes to electing Mumbai’s mayor.(UNI)
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