Who will control India’s richest civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has an annual budget of over Rs 70,000 crore? The Urdu dailies have kept their focus on this question, even as they covered the Maharashtra civic body polls with a focus and sweep reserved usually for the coverage of a big state election. They also put a spotlight on the heated international front – from raging unrest in Iran to President Trump’s latest power play over the control of Greenland.
Referring to the BJP’s victory in the BMC among other corporation polls across Maharashtra, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its January 18 editorial, points out that this marked a first when the BJP established its dominance in Mumbai and other key cities in the state. “These civic poll results are not surprising as they have come in the wake of the BJP’s wins in states like Haryana, Bihar and Maharashtra itself,” it notes. “The poll outcomes in state after state have buffeted the Opposition parties, which have cried foul, alleging various electoral irregularities. Rahul Gandhi has continued to accuse the BJP and Election Commission of ‘vote chori’,” it says. The point remains that there has not been any change in the BJP-dominated electoral landscape in the country.
The editorial states that in the Mumbai civic body, which was ruled by the undivided Shiv Sena for three decades, the BJP has put an end to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT)’s reign. Even Uddhav’s reunion with his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, the MNS chief, could not counter the BJP, which emerged as the single largest party with 89 of 227 seats, up from 82 in 2017, it notes. “The BJP and its ally, the Deputy CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, have together secured a majority in the BMC, with the Shinde Sena clearly playing a significant role in the BJP’s win,” the edit says, adding that the politics of breaking up rival parties have fuelled the BJP’s expansion in Maharashtra with both the Uddhav-led Sena and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP suffering vertical splits.
The key question, the daily says, is “whether there are no opportunities left for secular parties now”. “Have the Opposition parties lost all their grounds? Have their politics completely lost traction,” it asks. “In Maharashtra, the two NCP factions, MNS and Samajwadi Party should also do introspection as they have suffered blows,” the edit says. The Congress has not been decimated in these civic polls as it has managed to win a few corporations despite its overall poor performance, it says. “But the Congress leadership also must reflect why it lost the advantage it got in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections subsequently in the Assembly and local body polls.”
URDU TIMES
Decoding the Maharashtra civic poll results, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its January 19 editorial, points out that the BJP has emerged as a single largest party in 20 of the 29 municipal corporations that went to polls. “However, in several of these corporations, the BJP would be dependent on its ally Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to be able to get its mayor elected. Its prime example is Mumbai, where the BJP’s dream of having its first mayor is riding on the Shinde Sena’s support,” it says, noting that while the BJP has become the single largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member BMC, it depends on the Shinde Sena’s 29 seats to reach the majority mark of 114. “Aware of his party’s decisive role in determining the new Mumbai mayor, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde has moved all his corporators to a five-star hotel in the city so that they could not be poached.”
Referring to the Opposition camp’s tally in the BMC, the daily says it is not far behind the magic number, with its key players Uddhav Sena and the Congress getting 65 and 24 seats respectively. “While the BJP will go all out to clinch the Mumbai mayor’s post, the party would also face a tussle with the Shinde Sena in having its mayor in some other cities,” the editorial states, adding that given its numbers, heft and resources the BJP may eventually have the upper hand in all these civic bodies. “All eyes are now on the BMC, where the Shinde Sena is pushing for having its mayor first as part of a rotational deal for the post. However, the BJP leaders are not ready to concede this to Shinde,” it says, adding that the suspense would continue until Shinde’s talks with CM Devendra Fadnavis following the latter’s return from Davos.
Welcoming the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment’s move to ask the delivery aggregators such as Blinkit, Zomato and Swiggy to drop the “10-minute delivery” deadline, the New Delhi edition of Inquilab, in its January 14 leader, points out that while this concept was once pitched as a symbol of urban convenience, technological innovation and fast-paced modern life, its disturbing implications for safety, security and dignity of delivery partners
came to light soon. “The gig workers’ recent countrywide strike, the aggregator firms’ pushback and the government’s eventual intervention points to a glaring reality — that no model of economic growth could ever be sustainable unless it is in sync with the fundamental principles of social security and justice as well as public welfare,” it says.
The editorial states that during the Covid pandemic and its lockdown phase, the delivery of essentials turned out to be a blessing for the denizens of urban belts. However, as the pandemic came to an end, the cut-throat competition among delivery firms led to these platforms putting a premium on speed, fuelled by their apps, dark stores and algorithms, whose “real price” has been paid by their riders by putting their lives at risk, it says. “The grievances of gig workers are not just limited to unfair wages, but also their unsafe and stressful working conditions defined by deadlines, ratings, penalties, ID blocking, dangerous driving and air pollution.”
The daily says these firms claim that their 10-minute delivery promise is enabled by their logistics and infrastructure and not by asking their riders to drive faster, who clock, they claim, an average speed of about 16 kms. “Behind these data, however, there lurks a different reality on the ground, which reflects long duty hours, unsteady income, and intense work pressure. It betrays the failings of this business model, which has turned exploitative,” the editorial states. “The government’s move to put an end to 10-minute delivery has not only come as a relief to gig workers but also sent a message to corporates that in the race for growth, human life could not be ignored – and that consumers’ convenience could not be allowed to override workers’ distress,” it says. The government should also review the entire gig economy and bring it under a statutory framework to ensure fair wages, improved working conditions, realistic deadlines, and social security for the workers, the edit adds.
The BJP has emerged as the largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member BMC. The Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde won 29 seats. 
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