Piyush Goyal Optimistic About BMC Elections, Predicts Big Win for Mahayuti in North Mumbai

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal seemed to be buoyed by optimism regarding the prospects of the BMC elections, predicting that permissions from the Supreme Court may soon help make way for conducting the polls. He sounded pretty confident of getting as many as 40 corporators from North Mumbai being elected through Mahayuti alliance.
Speaking to the media after a review meeting with BMC officials and other departmental heads at the BMC headquarters, Goyal said that it is imperative to have capable individuals in the corporation to work together. He reiterated once again that this "triple engine" government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is committed to transforming Mumbai into a global city.
 

The BMC polls are likely to become a crucial battleground for the Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the recent assembly elections. For Shiv Sena (UBT), these elections would be a litmus test for retaining control of the country's wealthiest civic body.
The BMC has been operating under an administrator for the past two and a half years. The delay in elections is due to legal challenges, including one against the Eknath Shinde government's ordinance reducing the number of BMC wards from 236 to 227. The Supreme Court is also considering issues such as the permissible number of councillors per ward in rural and urban areas and whether the state government or the state election commission should oversee ward formation, including delimitation.
The state officials estimate that even if the Supreme Court makes a decision on these issues this month, it will take at least three months to finalize the preparations and conduct the elections. Along with the BMC polls, elections are pending for all 29 municipal corporations and approximately 280 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats across the state.
The eagerly awaited decision by the Supreme Court has ultimately set the stage for a high-stakes civic election that could shape up the political landscape in Maharashtra.