Mumbai:
While the results of 29 Maharashtra Municipal Corporations were declared on January 16, few outcomes have generated as much political churn as the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) – eclipsing even BMC in terms of post-poll drama.
The real contest in KDMC was not between the ruling alliance and the opposition, but within the ruling ecosystem itself: between the Shiv Sena led by Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde and its ally, led by BJP state chief, Ravindra Chavan. Statewide opposition parties largely remained on the fringes, yet their numbers have now become crucial in deciding power.
KDMC, with a strength of 122 corporators, delivered a fractured verdict. The Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) emerged marginally ahead with 53 seats, while the BJP was close behind at 50. Neither side crossed the halfway mark of 61, instantly turning the spotlight to the ‘others’.
The first political shock came when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raju Patil chose to register his group of five corporators with the Shiv Sena instead of the BJP or the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) faction. This move took the Shinde Sena’s tally to 58 – still three short of a majority, but firmly ahead in the race.
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