Eknath Shinde’s Mayor Claim, Sanjay Raut’s Phone-Tapping Charge: BMC Top Post Race Heats Up
The political contest for Mumbai’s powerful mayoral post has intensified days after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde has staked claim to the post for his faction of the Shiv Sena, while the rival Shiv Sena (UBT) has levelled serious allegations of phone tapping and surveillance.
The developments underline the high political stakes surrounding Asia’s richest civic body, especially with no single party commanding an absolute majority in the 227-member BMC.
What Eknath Shinde Said
Shinde has projected the Shiv Sena’s claim to the Mumbai mayor’s post as a symbolic gesture to honour party founder Bal Thackeray, whose birth centenary begins on January 23.
He said a section of Sena workers believes Mumbai should have a Shiv Sena mayor during the centenary year and emphasised that the city will have a Mahayuti mayor. Shinde also maintained that any decision would respect the people’s mandate, noting that the BJP and Shiv Sena contested the civic polls together as allies.
The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, followed by Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 29 seats, giving the alliance a clear edge in the BMC.
Phone-Tapping Allegations Fly
Amid the mayoral tussle, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged that phones of BJP and Shiv Sena corporators were being tapped while they were housed in a luxury hotel in Bandra.
Raut claimed corporators were under surveillance and alleged that decisions about Mumbai’s mayor were being taken in Delhi, calling it an insult to Maharashtra. He also suggested that corporators were being closely monitored to prevent defection.
The allegations were rejected by Maharashtra BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban, who countered that the BJP enjoys strong support and is not involved in such practices.
What’s Happening on the Ground
Before leaving the Bandra hotel, the 29 corporators of Shinde’s Shiv Sena registered themselves as a group with the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, a mandatory post-election procedure. While the Sena said the stay was for guidance and coordination, opposition leaders claimed it was to prevent poaching.
The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance has effectively ended the long-standing Thackeray family dominance over the BMC, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 65 seats and its ally MNS securing six.
Our Thoughts
The BMC mayoral race reflects deeper fault lines in Maharashtra politics, where symbolism, legacy, and power intersect. While Shinde’s pitch invokes Bal Thackeray’s legacy, the opposition’s allegations signal mistrust and heightened political tension. As Mumbai waits for clarity, the episode shows how control over civic institutions remains central to state-level power dynamics — and why the BMC continues to matter far beyond municipal governance.