Sena forms bloc with NCP factions in BMC, likely to reduce Sena UBT share in civic panels

Sena corporator Ameya Ghole from Dadar has been named the group leader. The move comes a week after the Shiv Sena and the BJP, which contested the civic polls together as part of the Mahayuti, registered themselves as separate parties rather than as an alliance.

Ghole said, however, that the Sena would continue to function as part of the Mahayuti.

In the latest civic elections, the Shiv Sena won 29 seats, the NCP three seats, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) one seat. With the registration of the combined bloc, the group’s strength rises to 33. The Sena UBT has 65 seats, while the Congress holds 24.

“The corporators from the two NCP factions have extended their support to the Shiv Sena in the house. Hence, we have registered ourselves as a single party bloc. At the same time, we will continue to be part of the Mahayuti with the BJP and support joint decisions in all statutory committees,” Ghole said.

The development is expected to directly affect the composition of statutory committees, where seats are allotted in proportion to party strength. When parties are registered as a single bloc, they are treated as one unit for allocation.

Before the formation of the bloc, the composition of the 26-member standing and improvement committees was BJP 10, Shiv Sena three, Sena UBT eight, Congress three, and AIMIM one.

Following the Sena NCP bloc registration, the revised composition is expected to be BJP 10, Sena NCP bloc four, Sena UBT seven, Congress three, and AIMIM one.

The standing committee is the most powerful body in the BMC, responsible for financial approvals and major civic projects, while the improvement committee oversees infrastructure upgrades and maintenance of municipal properties. Earlier, the committees were evenly split between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition, preventing unilateral control.

The move will also impact the allocation of nominated corporators, dealing a blow to AIMIM and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, eight corporators can be nominated based on party strength. Before the Sena NCP bloc, the distribution was BJP four, Sena UBT three, Congress, MNS and AIMIM one each.

After the formation of the new bloc, the revised allocation is expected to be BJP four, Sena NCP bloc two, Sena UBT three, and Congress one, leaving AIMIM and MNS without a nominated corporator.