BJP gave up claim for Mumbai mayor's post in 2017 at request of Shinde, Narvekar, says CM Fadnavis

Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said although the BJP had numbers to install its own mayor in Mumbai after the 2017 civic polls, it did not claim the post at the request of Eknath Shinde and Milind Narvekar who told him that Uddhav Thackeray was "disappointed".

At that time, the undivided Shiv Sena, headed by Uddhav Thackeray, was in power with the BJP at the Centre and in the state.

"I still remember, I received a call from Eknath Shinde, who is now our colleague, and Milind Narvekar (a close aide of Thackeray), who requested that since the BJP and Shiv Sena were allies, the mayor's post should be given to Sena as Uddhav Thackeray was highly disappointed," Fadnavis said while addressing the BJP's Vijay Sankalp Melava at Worli in Mumbai.

"Without any second thought, I discussed it with my colleagues and decided to let Shiv Sena have all the key posts," he said.

The Shiv Sena, which ruled the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for over two decades, was voted as the largest party in the 2017 civic elections. The BJP improved its performance significantly by jumping from 31 to 82 seats. No Party could get a clear majority, but the BJP supported the Shiv Sena for the mayor post.

Training guns at the opposition, he said while the BJP was "reimagining Mumbai", others were only "reimagining the chair".

"I am telling them, they will never get the chair," he said, adding that the ruling Mahayuti would have its mayor in the upcoming civic polls.

Fadnavis also launched a scathing attack on the Shiv Sena (UBT) over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing it of doing corruption even in the procurement of body bags.

"Those who were not doctors were shown as doctors, even compounders were passed off as medical staff. Bills worth crores were sanctioned and people died without beds or medicines. This is not my claim, but part of the Enforcement Directorate's chargesheet. These people are responsible for the deaths of common Mumbaikars," he alleged.

The BMC had Rs 70,000 crore in fixed deposits, but they did not use it for citizens, Fadnavis said.

The chief minister highlighted several development projects, including the BDD chawl redevelopment, which he termed as Asia's largest urban renewal scheme.

"People who lived in 120 sq ft homes are now getting 540 sq ft houses. Similarly, those affected by the Girgaon Metro project have been given new homes. As many as 1,600 societies have opted for self-redevelopment," he said.

On the Dharavi redevelopment, Fadnavis said one million people would benefit from the project.

"Dharavi is not just a slum, it is an ecosystem of pottery, food processing and small-scale industries. We have made provisions for such workers and they will not have to pay a single tax for five years once they shift to new locations," he added.

He also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the underground Metro from Cuffe Parade on September 30.

Stressing on infrastructure push, he said 60 per cent of the country's data centre capacity was in Maharashtra and the state was preparing for challenges in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Alternative road links such as Worli-Versova and Versova-Bhayandar corridors were also being taken up to decongest the Western Express Highway, he noted.

Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam, meanwhile, said the Shiv Sena (UBT) was indulging in "dirty politics" to polarise voters.

Drawing a comparison, he said if the opposition party won, "every road in Mumbai will become Mohammed Ali Road.

"If they win, maybe the next mayor of Mumbai would be a Muslim," Satam alleged.

Satam further alleged that from 1997 to 2022, corruption worth Rs 3 lakh crore took place in the BMC.

"Whenever civic elections come near, they start making emotional calls for protecting the Marathi manoos, but the rest of the time they forget the Marathi manoos," he added.

BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, also present at the rally, said the party must treat the civic polls as a fight for ideology. "We have to undertake micro-management from the circle level as well as the booth level," he said. PTI ND NP