BJP promises ‘Marathi manoos’ as Mumbai mayor if it wins BMC elections

This is the first time the BJP has made such a declaration, coming at a time when anonymous posters bearing the slogan “Marathi manasa, jaga ho!” (Wake up, Marathi people!) have popped up across Mumbai

Mumbai: With cousins Raj and Uddhav Thackeray set to announce an alliance for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, and Marathi identity expected to dominate the campaign, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar on Tuesday announced that a “Marathi manoos” will be the mayor if the party comes to power in India’s richest civic body.

Pune, India - August 12, 2019: Opening of 'Virtual Classroom in Secondary Schools' by state education department by the school education minister Ashish Shelar. It will be initially implemented in Palghar, Nandurbar, Nashik and Gadchiroli districts in 9th and 10th std students. At Education department office on Kumthekar Road, Sadashiv Peth in Pune, India, on Monday, August 12, 2019. (Photo by Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

This is the first time the BJP has made such a declaration, coming at a time when anonymous posters bearing the slogan “Marathi manasa, jaga ho!” (Wake up, Marathi people!) have popped up across Mumbai. The posters call for unity among Marathi people and warn that “Mumbai is being broken away from you”.

Against this backdrop, the BJP and Shiv Sena held seat-sharing talks for the BMC elections on Tuesday. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also a part of the Mahayuti coalition, is not a part of the alliance for the BMC polls.

Following the meeting, Shelar, speaking to reporters at the BJP’s office in Dadar, said, “The next mayor of Mumbai will be from the Mahayuti coalition, and there is no doubt that the person selected for the position will be a Marathi.” He also challenged the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) to make a similar announcement.

The former Mumbai BJP president also declared that the Mahayuti alliance would win over 150 of the 227 seats in the BMC. However, Tuesday’s seat-sharing talks between the BJP and Shiv Sena remained inconclusive, according to people familiar with the discussions. The BJP wants to contest 150 seats and is willing to leave up to 60 seats for the Shiv Sena. However, Eknath Shinde’s party has sought about 100 seats, party insiders told HT.

The deadlock is around seats held by sitting corporators who switched sides from the Shiv Sena (UBT) to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. “The BJP is not ready to leave seats for all those who joined the alliance partner (Shiv Sena). The party has staked their claims on those seats as well,” said a Shiv Sena leader, requesting anonymity.

“This has become a bone of contention between the saffron parties as Shinde promised election tickets to all of them while inducting the corporators in his party,” the leader added.

Another Shiv Sena leader said, “To accommodate all those who were inducted into his party, Shinde wants around 90 to 100 seats, for which the BJP leadership is reluctant.”