Eknath Shinde government tables bill to restore number of corporators in Mumbai civic body to 227

Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi government had decided to increase the number of corporators in the BMC to 236

The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on Wednesday tabled a bill to restore the number of corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to 227 from 236, effected by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act 2022 bill was tabled in the Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who also holds the Urban Development Department portfolio.

Earlier this month, the Shinde-Fadnavis government reversed the erstwhile government's decision to increase the number of corporators in the BMC to 236.

The previous government led by Uddhav Thackeray had also approved the redrawing of wards in Mumbai, a move that drew severe flak from the Bharatiya Janata Party, then in Opposition, and Congress, a member of the MVA.

The BJP and the Congress had alleged that the Shiv Sena had misused its powers to redraw the wards in such a way that it would benefit the Uddhav Thackeray-led party in upcoming civic polls, due in the next few months.

Since it fell apart with Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in November 2019, the BJP has set its eyes to capture the BMC, being ruled by the Shiv Sena for over two decades.

In the 2017 elections, for the first time, the BJP won 82 seats against the 84 seats of the Shiv Sena in the 227-member body.