By Dhruvi Shah
The most prominent candidates, however, are those contesting for election in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BMC is considered the richest municipal body in India and is responsible for providing crucial services to the city of Mumbai. The power held by the BMC’s leadership is therefore seen as being politically and financially advantageous to all major political parties. BMC has the largest amount of financial support and voter list.
For the ruling parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) have put forward candidates with a long history of successful organisations as candidates in the election. The focus of their campaign is one of development and stability within Mumbai. For the opposition parties, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidates are focusing on the preservation of Marathi culture and the welfare of the people of Maharashtra, while the Indian National Congress is highlighting candidates familiar with the issues of health, housing, civic infrastructure, etc.
The success of these candidates goes far beyond the boundaries of their cities. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has implications regarding political and campaign finances, visibility of policies and plans and planning powers regarding urban areas. A candidate achieving a strong result in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will generate momentum for their party to win additional civic bodies in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, as well as in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli. For this reason, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is the main battleground for all civic elections in Maharashtra.