MMR to see fierce contest in polls

The vast hustling-bustling Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), spread along five districts and 6,238 sq km, would see fierce politicking once Maharashtra’s State Election Commission (SEC) announces the polls to urban and rural local bodies.

Elections are due in nine municipal corporations of the MMR including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Ulhasnagar, Panvel.

A part of the coastal Konkan coast, the MMR comprises the twin districts of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban and major parts of neighbouring districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad. Totally more than 1,000 wards/seats would go in for elections.

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The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mumbai civic body, is one of the biggest and richest in India which has been controlled by the Shiv Sena for over a quarter of a century.

Around 2.3 crore people stay in urban areas in MMR, which is around 20 per cent of Maharashtra’s total population of 11.24 crore.

The area has 10 Lok Sabha seats of the total 48 in the state and 60 Vidhan Sabha seats of the total 288 seats.

According to political observers and experts, what would matter here are alliances.

As far as BMC’s 227 seats are concerned, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, in the 2017 polls, had won 84 seats. However, the BJP has 82, just two less. If the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde bring in Raj Thackeray-led MNS, it would pose a major challenge to the parent Shiv Sena. However, the Thackeray-led faction and Sharad Pawar-led NCP are working on an alliance, but the Congress is not on the same page.

As far as the control of the other corporations based on 2015/2017 polls is concerned, the Thane corporation was controlled by Shiv Sena, Vasai Virar (Bahujan Vikas Aghadi), Kalyan-Dombivli (Shiv Sena), Navi Mumbai (NCP), Mira-Bhayander (BJP), Panvel (BJP-RPI), Ulhasnagar (32) and Bhiwandi-Nizampur (Congress).

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“The tussle between the two Shiv Sena factions, led by Thackeray and Shinde respectively, would be a major issue in these polls. Plus, BJP’s election management, for which it is known, would be a deciding factor. The NCP and Congress would have to depend on its original base and decide at a very early stage whether the elections would be fought under the banner of Maha Vikas Aghadi,” veteran analyst Prakash Akolkar said.

It may be mentioned that of the Shiv Sena's strength, more than 160 ex-corporators have switched loyalties to the Shinde-camp. Besides, Shinde's bastion is Thane city and of the 67 former corporators, 66 have joined him.