Race for Mumbai mayor: Resort politics returns as Shiv Sena moves corporators to hotel

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has decided to move its newly elected corporators to a luxury hotel as the race to pick the next Mumbai mayor heats up.

The Eknath Shinde-led outfit contested 90 seats and won 29 in the Mumbai civic polls, results of which were announced on Friday.

A senior party leader said the corporators were being moved to a luxury hotel in Bandra to help them "refresh" after a hectic election season.

The leader, however, gave no clarity on how long the corporators will be housed in the luxury hotel.

Another party functionary cited orientation of newly elected members behind the move, adding the corporators will be housed in the hotel for a couple of days.

The move comes amid Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray's remark earlier in the day that his party could install its mayor in the metropolis if God wills.

Shinde's 28 corporators are crucial for the BJP to elect their mayor for the first time in the city.

The BJP won 89 seats in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Shiv Sena bagged 29 seats, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) managed 65, and MNS got 6 seats.

The Congress, which fought in alliance with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), bagged 24 seats, AIMIM 8, NCP 3, Samajwadi Party 2, and NCP (SP) got just one seat in the BMC.