The last Muslim mayor Mumbai saw (AU Memon) was 43 years ago. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
ANDAs Maharashtra heads for elections to 29 municipal corporations today, all eyes are on Mumbai, where the BJP-Shiv Sena combine is battling the Thackerays for control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). These elections are closely watched for many reasons. First, Thackeray’s estranged cousins—Raj and Uddhav—reunited after two decades in the hope of consolidating the Maratha vote bank. Second, an unlikely alliance has been forged in Mumbai since the split of Maharashtra’s two main regional parties – the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
In this election, both Senas are fighting against each other, seemingly for the same vote bank. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena fights in alliance with the ruling BJP, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) fights against them, deprived of Congress support. Meanwhile, both the NCP and the NCP (Sharad Chandra Pawar) are fighting against the BJP, although the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is part of the state government along with the saffron party.
The BMC election is compared to the recent New York City (NYC) mayoral election. Mumbai, like NYC, is a financial powerhouse; a cultural melting pot with a significant migrant population; the city that never sleeps. Like NYC, it stands on the toil and sweat of several migrants and communities who have contributed to the city’s wealth for generations. But during this campaign, the connection deepened. This was evident not only in the BJP raising fears about the possibility of a Muslim becoming mayor, but also in how Mr. Raj Thackeray overturned NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s advocacy of “periphery politics” as a path to power.
The the last Muslim mayor Mumbai saw it was 43 years ago. The fear that the BJP tried to spread in this election was not just about the possibility of a Muslim mayor; it was also about the city’s changing demographics, which the party associated with a lack of security. “We are warning against the silent demographic and cultural invasion of a particular community. What happened at Bondi Beach in Australia may happen tomorrow in Girgaum Chowpatty. Illegal encroachment and infiltration is being supported by political patronage in the slums of Mumbai. Shiv Sena UBT former cabinet minister settled Bangladeshis and Rohingya, BJmetsa Slumba in Mumbai. President. “We will not allow the color of Mumbai to change and we will not allow mamdanization Mumbai,” he added. Citing a study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mr. Satam claimed that Mumbai’s Hindu population shrank from 88% in 1951 to 66% in 2011, while the Muslim population increased from 8% to 21% over the same period.
The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Ittehadul Waris Pathan leader then declared that a burqewali (burqa-clad woman) would become the mayor. This comment was picked up by BJP to mock Shiv Sena Mr. Uddhav Thackeray. The party claimed that since the Shiv Sena (UBT) did not respond to AIMIM, “Khan” would become the Mayor of Mumbai if the Shiv Sena (UBT) was elected to power.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which is trying to appeal to the minority vote bank, refrained from commenting on the matter. This further encouraged the BJP to target Mr. Uddhav Thackeray. When asked about this, party leader Aaditya Thackeray said, “It is not Zohran Mamdani that the BJP is targeting individually. The party has problems with a democratically elected leader of NYC as its mayor. Not having the guts to criticize (US President Donald) Trump for his tariff policy, it has targeted Mr. Mamdani. There is no doubt that the Marathi mayor will become the mayor of Mumbai.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Mamdani’s campaign has also caught the attention of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray. “Politics of the periphery” refers to a political approach that links local issues affecting marginalized communities to broader global struggles. Mr. Mamdani has focused on bringing marginalized communities, long overlooked by mainstream politics, to the center of political discourse. But Mr. Raj Thackeray turned this concept on its head and argued that the “original” inhabitants of Bombay were pushed to the periphery.
A city that thrives on plurality cannot be governed by fear of the “other” without undermining its social cohesion.
Published – 15 Jan 2026 0:20 AM IST
