Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, sought to put an end to the issue surrounding the Mumbai guardian minister’s office at the BMC headquarters on Saturday by announcing that the office will be closed once the BMC’s elected body returned.
There are now no elected members in the BMC, Fadnavis stated in a speech to the state legislative council. In order to answer public concerns about municipal problems, Mumbai’s guardian minister obtained an office inside BMC headquarters where individuals may gather and have their grievances addressed. The BMC elected body will resume after this office is shut down.
The Opposition has been pressuring the state government, particularly Mumbai’s guardian minister Mangalprabhat Lodha, for an office at the BMC headquarters for the last several weeks.
Aaditya Thackeray, a leader of the Shiv Sena UBT and a former guardian minister, had brought up the matter and demanded that all MLAs from Mumbai be given offices in the BMC’s main office because constituents often approach them with municipal concerns.
Thackeray said that allowing previous BJP officials to remain on the property was an effort to undermine the current administration.
The controversy’s focal point, Lodha, tweeted in response: “Today, Devendra Fadnavis took cognisance of my job as guardian minister of Mumbai. I thank him for telling the council house about my efforts. I have always said that the office we established at the BMC headquarters is available to residents of Mumbai in order to address their municipal concerns.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) asserts that Lodha has begun engaging with residents to address municipal concerns, together with former BJP corporators. They said that in order to help the people who come to Lodha’s office with their concerns, the BJP corporators had been instructed to work in the first floor office in two shifts each day. Between 4 and 6 p.m. three days a week, Lodha will work in the office and engage with the public.
The BJP allegedly utilized the office because it didn’t want to miss the chance to connect with Mumbai citizens in light of the impending municipal elections in Mumbai, which might be called at any moment.