After the announcement of the results of the municipal elections in the state, the process of forming the government has started gaining momentum. Against this backdrop, official information has emerged that the draw for the reservation of the mayoral posts in 29 municipal corporations in the state will be held on January 22. A letter from the Urban Development Department regarding this has been published, leading to major movements in municipal politics.
The Urban Development Department has sent this letter to all the concerned municipal corporations in the state, and it has been clarified that the reservation for the mayoral post will be drawn at a specific time on January 22. It will be determined whether the mayoral post will be reserved for general, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and women categories.
Since the reservation for the mayoral post is crucial for the formation of power in many places, all political parties are focused on this draw. Especially in important municipal corporations like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Kolhapur, Solapur, the future political strategy will depend on which category the mayoral post is reserved for.
If the mayoral position is reserved for a specific category, decisions regarding alliances, coalitions, and support will be made based on the number of councilors in that category and the strength of each party. Therefore, in many places, alliance discussions have already gained momentum, and there is speculation about who will play the role of 'kingmaker'.
According to the letter from the Urban Development Department, this draw will be conducted in a transparent manner and in accordance with government rules. After the draw, the process of selecting the mayor, deputy mayor, and standing committee chairman in the municipal corporations will begin. Therefore, signs of political tension in the state's municipal corporations are clearly visible in the coming days. On one side, the ruling grand alliance and on the other side, the opposition parties have started planning their strategies. There is no doubt that this draw, which will be held on January 22, will prove to be a decisive turning point in the politics of local self-government institutions in the state.