As the race for the Mumbai mayoral post heats up, all parties are registering their councillor factions. This is being done to ensure that even if cross-voting occurs, members remain bound by the party whip. Since the anti-defection law does not apply to municipal corporations, this strategy has become standard practice for every party.
The newly elected councillors of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena will on Wednesday go to Konkan Bhavan for the registration of their faction. All 65 councillors of Shiv Sena (UBT) will go to the Konkan Commissioner’s office in Belapur, where the faction will be officially registered.
The councillors will gather at the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar at 10 am before heading to Konkan Bhavan.
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena will also get its faction registered tomorrow. Raj Thackeray’s party, MNS, will get its faction of six councillors registered at Konkan Bhavan on January 22.
BMC mayoral poll likely on January 30
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) may hold its mayoral election on January 30, according to sources. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is expected to secure the mayor’s post in the upcoming vote. Sources suggest that the party is unlikely to offer the position to the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.
The formal schedule for the election will be announced by the BMC Commissioner. The process will begin with a draw to determine the category from which the mayor will be elected, followed by voting for both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor positions.
Currently, the BJP, together with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has a combined strength of 118 corporators in the BMC. This is four more than the majority mark of 114, ensuring a comfortable position for the alliance. With the support of Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which holds three seats and is part of the Mahayuti alliance, the total strength rises to 121.
