Even as Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray expressed confidence that, “god willing,” his party could have its own mayor in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appeared risk-averse and moved newly elected Shiv Sena (S) corporators to a hotel in Mumbai.
The Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) managed to secure 65 seats, while Shiv Sena (Shinde) bagged 29 seats, triggering fears of poaching. The magic number (majority mark) in the 227-member House is 114, while the BJP has only 89 seats.
No party has a majority on its own.
The BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde) combine has the numbers (118), but it is barely four seats above the required halfway mark. This could possibly be the reason Shinde, who emerged as the kingmaker after the polls, decided to ensure there is no “horse-trading” and moved the corporators to the hotel.
According to media reports, the corporators from his faction are lodged at a five-star hotel in Bandra.
According to local media reports, the winning candidates will be lodged in the hotel for the next three days, and they will be kept under tight security.
The move could also be driven by the fear of the opposition parties joining forces. In such a scenario, they may require just a few elected members to reach the magic number.
There is also a demand within the party not to compromise on the post of the mayor.
A senior party leader said the corporators were being moved to a luxury hotel in Bandra to help them "refresh" after a hectic election season.
Resort politics played a major role in Shinde's 2022 rebellion, where he and around 40 Shiv Sena MLAs rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray, withdrawing support from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition and aligning with the BJP to topple the government.
While interacting with Sena (UBT) workers, Uddhav Thackeray had said, “They (BJP) have registered victory by betrayal by mortgaging Mumbai. The Marathi manoos will never forgive this sin. The battle has not ended; it has just begun.” He added that it is his dream to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, and if God is willing, this dream will be realised.
