Even though the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena have agreed in principle to allot 12 seats to Union Minister Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (RPI) for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, not a single Mahayuti candidate had withdrawn their nomination from the 12 earmarked wards as of Thursday. As a result, the RPI’s claim to these seats remains uncertain.
The RPI had initially demanded 17 seats from the Mahayuti. However, due to delays in seat-sharing talks, no seats were formally allotted. Consequently, Athawale’s party workers filed nominations in 39 wards. Following this, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde held detailed discussions with Athawale on Wednesday regarding seat adjustments.
After these talks, the BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) agreed in principle to give six seats each to the RPI. However, by Thursday, no Mahayuti candidate had withdrawn from the wards meant for the RPI. With Friday being the last day for withdrawal of nominations, the party now faces a serious dilemma.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has expressed his inability to free up seats, stating that AB forms have already been issued and it is not possible to ask party workers to withdraw their nominations. Meanwhile, BJP Mumbai president Amit Satam spent Thursday attempting to finalise which six seats from the BJP quota could be released.
Athawale has stated, “We are ready to contest on your election symbol, but give us the seats.” Despite this, both the BJP and Shiv Sena have maintained their inability to vacate seats. This has led to a sense of betrayal within the RPI, though party workers appear willing to tolerate the setback due to broader political calculations.
While the RPI has been accommodated with seats in other municipal corporations, no such adjustment has been made in Mumbai. Additionally, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, another Ambedkarite group, is contesting 45 seats in the city, further marginalising Athawale’s party. A similar situation occurred during the assembly elections, when the RPI was limited to two Mumbai seats and compelled to contest on the Kamal symbol.
As a final measure, Athawale convened a meeting of party office-bearers on Thursday. He stated that if all 12 seats are allotted by Friday, the issue would be resolved; otherwise, out of the 39 RPI candidates who have filed nominations, 12 financially capable candidates have been instructed to remain in the fray.
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