BMC Initiates Party Office Allotment Following Civic Polls Conclusion
With the civic polls now concluded, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration has commenced the process of allotting office spaces within its headquarters to political parties. This allocation is strictly based on the numerical strength each party holds in the newly elected municipal House, marking a significant step in post-election civic governance.
BJP Secures Its Previous Office Space
The Bharatiya Janata Party, emerging as the single largest party with 89 seats, was the first to stake its claim. On Friday, a delegation of newly elected corporators and party workers formally took possession, performing a puja to inaugurate the space. The BJP has retained the office it occupied during the 2017 to 2022 term, located at the south end corridor of the old BMC building. This office comprises two work areas, a private room, a conference room, and a large hall designated for meetings.
A senior party functionary expressed satisfaction, stating, "We are very happy with this since during our previous tenure we operated from here. In our demand letter, our party requested the administration if we could get this office this year as well." Party offices within the BMC headquarters had been shut after the elected body's tenure ended in 2022, though the BJP office was temporarily reopened last year for poll-related activities.
Shiv Sena Factions to Share Divided Traditional Office
Adjacent to the BJP office, the two factions of the Shiv Sena will now share what was traditionally the undivided Sena's office for nearly two decades. This space, among the largest party offices in the BMC, features a large hall, two private meeting rooms, and a conference room. Civic officials have confirmed that the hall will be bifurcated, with each faction allotted one private meeting room and a conference room.
The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction, as the second largest party with 65 seats, and the Eknath Shinde faction, with 29 seats, have agreed to this arrangement. Ameya Ghole, group leader of the Shinde faction, explained, "Initially we were told to take the office which was given to the Congress between 2017 to 2022. However, since the newly bifurcated office belonged to the undivided Shiv Sena, we preferred keeping it with us."
Congress Retains Its Earlier Office After Swap
The Indian National Congress, having won 24 seats, will continue operating from its previous office. Initially, the party had been allotted the space now claimed by the Sena factions, but a mutual agreement led to a swap. Ashraf Azmi, leader of the Congress in the BMC, detailed, "We had demanded the administration allot us our previous office only since all our old documents continue to stay there. Also, we have 16 women corporators, therefore this space will be safe for us as well. As a result, when we came to know this office was being given to Shinde Sena, we demanded it should be given to us, and we mutually agreed to give it to them and take possession of this one."
Refurbishing work at the allotted Congress office is currently underway, with corporators expected to take possession next month. The space includes a common hall, private seating area, and a conference room.
AIMIM Set for Its First Independent BMC Office
The All India Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen, with eight elected seats and one nominated corporator, is poised to receive an independent office in the BMC for the first time. Vijay Ubale, AIMIM group leader, stated, "We have sent a letter to the civic administration demanding a dedicated office for our daily work. The administration has not formally gotten back to us yet, and it seems we will get possession of our office likely next week." An official indicated that a small office on the ground floor of the old building is being prepared for AIMIM.
Other Parties and Common Spaces
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, with six seats, will also be allotted a small office. However, this marks the first time the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party will not have exclusive offices in the BMC, as they have won three and two seats respectively, with the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP securing one seat. An official clarified, "For the parties which have less than five seats, a common space is being created with dedicated office spaces, that will act like a corporator's block to them."
Kishori Pednekar, leader of the Sena UBT in the BMC, noted, "We have been notified that our office space has been allotted, but I didn't visit it yet since the ancillary works are underway. We will carry out a visit inspection after the Mayor gets elected next week." This office allotment process underscores the evolving political landscape in Mumbai's civic administration post-polls.
