Bhiwandi Mayor’s Election Stuck In Limbo As Political Heat Intensifies Within Civic Body

Bhiwandi, Feb 04: Even as mayoral and deputy mayoral elections have been completed in major municipal corporations such as Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Mira-Bhayandar, the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) continues to wait for its turn.

More than 20 days after the civic election results were declared on January 16, no official notification or ordinance regarding the mayoral election has been received from the Konkan Commissioner, triggering sharp political speculation and growing unrest within the city’s political circles.

No directive from state authorities

The absence of an official directive from the state government and the Konkan Bhavan has put the mayoral and deputy mayoral election process in Bhiwandi on hold.

Civic officials claim that repeated correspondence has been sent to the Konkan Commissioner seeking approval to conduct the elections, but no formal communication has been received so far. As a result, newly elected corporators remain in a wait-and-watch mode, while political temperatures in the city continue to rise.

Hung house complicates process

The situation is further complicated by the fractured mandate thrown up by the municipal elections. In the 90-member civic body, no single party has secured a clear majority, with 46 corporators required to form the house’s leadership.

The Congress has emerged as the single largest party with 30 corporators, followed by the BJP with 22, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena with 12, the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) with 12, the Samajwadi Party (SP) with six, the Konark Vikas Aghadi with four, the Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi (Ekta Manch) with three, and one Independent corporator. The fractured verdict has resulted in a classic hung house.

Group leader appointments add uncertainty

Internal dissent has added to the uncertainty. Both the Congress and the Shinde Sena have failed to appoint their respective group leaders so far, maintaining a studied silence on the issue. In contrast, the BJP, Samajwadi Party and NCP (SP) have appointed their group leaders and formally registered their numbers at Konkan Bhavan.

Secular front loses momentum

In a bid to form an alternative power bloc, SP MLA Rais Shaikh had brought together the Congress, NCP (SP) and Samajwadi Party under the banner of the ‘Bhiwandi Secular Front’, staking claim to the mayor’s post.

However, the front now appears to be losing steam after SP corporators reportedly distanced themselves from the alliance. Political buzz intensified when several SP corporators were said to be “not reachable”, raising questions about possible realignments.

Smaller fronts enter mayoral race

Meanwhile, former mayor Vilas Patil’s Konark Vikas Aghadi and former mayor Javed Dalvi’s Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi (Ekta Manch) have also begun positioning themselves as key players in the mayoral race.

BJP–Shinde Sena short of majority

The BJP and Shinde Sena, which contested the elections together, currently command only 35 corporators — including one Independent — falling short of the majority mark. This has prompted the BJP to initiate talks with smaller parties and local fronts, including the Konark Vikas Aghadi and Bhiwandi Vikas Aghadi.

Sources claim that corporators from several parties, including the Congress, SP and NCP (SP), have been moved to undisclosed locations amid fears of poaching.

Top leadership monitoring developments

Adding another layer to the political churn, there is strong speculation that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have begun personally monitoring developments in Bhiwandi. This has fuelled talk that the next mayor will be a candidate favoured by the state’s top leadership.

Reinforcing this perception, Shinde Sena deputy leader and former MLA Rupesh Mhatre reiterated that the mayor will be from the Shinde Sena, though he refrained from naming the candidate.

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Awaiting the mayoral ‘muhurat’

For now, with administrative approval still awaited and political equations shifting by the day, Bhiwandi’s mayoral chair remains vacant — and the question on everyone’s mind is when the long-awaited ‘muhurat’ for the election will finally arrive.

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