Mumbai is slated to get a new mayor this month after a gap of nearly four years as the city gears up for civic body elections on January 15. Political parties in the state have outlined various criteria for the top role — with the focus shifting sharply towards linguistic and cultural identity. The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has repeatedly insisted that the next Mayor will be both Marathi and Hindu while the Congress said it would welcome a “Bharatiya, Maharashtrian, and Mumbaikar” leader. Several former Mayors and deputy mayors of Mumbai are currently in the fray for BMC elections, but no party has named a candidate for the top post.
Wanted: Marathi, Hindu mayor
Controversy erupted in early January after Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam insisted that his party would not allow any ‘Khan’ to become Mayor. The comment had triggered a sharp response from the newly allied Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena — with Raj Thackeray declaring that the new “would “will be Marathi and will be ours”. His cousin Uddhav Thackeray had also joined the debate and questioned whether Marathis were not considered Hindus.
“We are saying a Marathi person will be the mayor of Mumbai. The BJP says a Hindu will be the mayor. Does the BJP accept the Marathi manoos as a Hindu? Has a Marathi person become the mayor in other cities?” he asked.
“The Mumbai mayor will be from the Mahayuti. The Mumbai mayor will be a Hindu and a Marathi person,” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reiterated during an event last week.
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Congress slams ‘polarisation race’
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also lashed out at the “polarisation race” underway in the city ahead of elections — accusing rival parties of trying to divert attention. He told reporters that the Congress wanted the next mayor of Mumbai to be ‘Bhartiya, Maharashtrian and Mumbaikar’ while fielding questions about the linguistic assertions.
“A polarisation race is underway, and the ‘unity in diversity’ foundation of India is being undermined. Slogans are being raised about the Mayor belonging to one language or another, while there is no discussion on development. No one knows what happened to the promise of 100 smart cities. Such issues are being raised to divert attention from real concerns,” he alleged.
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Linguistic and religious divide
Political parties in Maharashtra have also highlighted linguistic differences while pushing for the ‘ideal’ mayoral profile. While Marathi proficiency seems to be a big part of the eligibility criterion, AIMIM leader Waris Pathan had also made waves with his call for a “burqa-clad” Muslim mayor for Mumbai.
Meanwhile BJP leader Kripashankar Singh has issued calls for a Hindi-speaking or north Indian mayor in the neighbouring Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation. Fadnavis defended the remark earlier this week — asserting that north Indians were not outsiders — while noting that MBMC was different from BMC.
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