After hotel shift, team Shinde fast-tracks paperwork to block horse-trading

Mumbai: A day after shifting his party’s newly elected corporators to a five-star hotel, Eknath Shinde has made a fresh move to pre-empt any horse-trading attempts in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Sources said the Shinde-led Shiv Sena has decided to complete all formal documentation of its 29 corporators in a single day, including the appointment of the group leader. The step is aimed at legally cementing the party’s strength in the 227-member civic body and eliminating any scope for last-minute defections.

According to party insiders, the name of the Sena corporator leader is likely to be finalised today. Senior but relatively young faces such as Yamini Jadhav, Trishna Vishwasrao and Amey Ghole are understood to be under consideration for key roles.

The urgency comes against the backdrop of intense bargaining expected within the ruling Mahayuti alliance over the BMC mayor’s post, one of the most powerful and prestigious positions in Mumbai’s civic administration.

In the recently concluded polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while Shinde’s Shiv Sena won 29. Together, they cross the majority mark of 114, but neither party commands a majority on its own — making unity critical.

For Shinde, the mayor’s chair holds symbolic importance. With the Shiv Sena having controlled the BMC for over two decades, he is keen to ensure that the post remains with his faction to reinforce his claim as the legitimate inheritor of the Sena legacy.

The BJP, however, is expected to push hard for the post, which it has never held in the BMC. On the Opposition benches, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) together have 72 seats.

Including Congress, AIMIM, and the Samajwadi Party, the Opposition tally rises to 106 — just eight short of a majority.

Though a united Opposition front remains unlikely, the arithmetic has heightened fears of poaching, prompting Shinde’s camp to act swiftly.

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has alleged that Shinde is wary of his own ally, while Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut claimed that many Shinde Sena corporators are opposed to a BJP mayor.

Shinde loyalists have rejected the allegations, maintaining that the measures are meant only to shield corporators from pressure and inducements. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said a final decision on the mayor’s post will be taken after consultations with all stakeholders.

For now, Mumbai’s civic future hinges on paperwork, political trust — and who ultimately claims the mayor’s chair.