Mumbai Mayor polls: Congress demands Deputy Mayor post to support Shiv Sena in polls

Ahead of the lottery poll to decide Mumbai's next Mayor, sources have reported on Monday, that NCP ad Congress have extended their support to Shiv Sena. Sources further report that Congress has put the condition that the Deputy Mayor post must be given to the grand old party. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor polls will be held on November 22, where 227 Corporators will vote to decide Mumbai's next Mayor.

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Current BMC numbers

Currently, Shiv Sena with 94 corporators holds the sway in the 227-member House, over the BJP which has 81 corporators (1 disqualified). With a joint tally of 175, the BJP-Shiv Sena combo is well over the halfway mark of 114 corporators. Currently, NCP has 6 corporators and Congress has 30 corporators. The mayor post will most probably sway towards Shiv Sena, in case BJP corporators vote against their candidate, as it holds the highest number of seats in the civic body and has controlled the BMC  since 1985.

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NCP had denied Sena support

Earlier on Saturday, NCP leader Nawab Malik said that Congress-NCP alliance will field candidates in the upcoming Mayoral elections in the state and there have been no talks with Shiv Sena on the same. " We have not done any talks about Mayor elections with Shiv Sena yet," said Malik, without specifying about Mumbai. The BMC is India's richest civic body with a budget for the financial year 2019-20 as Rs 30,692 crore.

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Mahayuti fallout

While the BJP-Shiv Sena have not separated at the civic level inspite of falling out at the state-level, the saffron allies are eyeing to form the next government separately in Maharashtra -which is currently under President's rule. The Sena-NCP-Congress is still in talks to finalise the Common minimum programme to form an alliance and the BJP has vowed that it will form the next government. The Mahayuti alliance which swept Maharashtra on October 24, winning a combined tally of 161 (BJP- 105, Sena -56), fell out with the  Sena insisting an equal sharing of CM post for 2.5 years and portfolios, while BJP refused to these demands.

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