In what would be a challenge to the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-led Shiv Sena-BJP dispensation, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) would stage a massive show of strength outside the headquarters of Mumbai’s civic body on July 1.
This would be a test for him in the run-up to the polls to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), one of the biggest and the richest civic body in India.
“We would hold a ‘viraat morcha’ outside BMC headquarters on July 1 against the irregularities,” Thackeray told reporters on Tuesday.
The five-year term of the BMC’s 227-member general body, elected in 2017, ended on March 7, 2022. The elections are due for more than a year, however, the Shiv Sena split in June 2022.
The BMC is being run by Municipal Commissioner Dr Iqbal Singh Chahal, who was appointed the Administrator.
Incidentally, Shinde, the Chief Minister, holds the Urban Development portfolio.
Thackeray’s announcement comes a day after the Shinde-Fadnavis government appointed a Special Investigation Team headed by the Mumbai Police Commissioner to probe the alleged irregularities in various departments of the BMC as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
The Shinde-Fadnavis duo assumed office on June 30, 2022 and months after that on October 31, 2022, the Urban Development Department formally requested the CAG for a special audit of 76 identified works, costing Rs 12,023.88 crore, as executed by nine departments of the BMC. The audit covered the period between November 28, 2019 till June 29, 2022, when Thackeray was the Chief Minister.
The special audit report was tabled during the Budget Session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
The CAG report had pointed out several irregularities.
The Shiv Sena founded by Balasaheb Thackeray has controlled the BMC for a quarter of a century.
Thackeray said that BMC’s money is being used in the name of events like G20 meetings and road concretisation.
He said when Shiv Sena took charge of the BMC in 1997, the civic body’s revenue was in deficit, but in 25 years, its fixed deposits rose to Rs 92,000 crore. “Rs 7,000-9,000 crore have been spent from these FDs,” he alleged.
"Someone has to question BMC because this is people’s money. We will take out a morcha against irregularities in the BMC," he said, adding that Sena leaders including his son Aaditya will lead the morcha.
It is not yet known whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies - the NCP and Congress - will join the morcha.