The document discusses the history and politics of Mumbai, India. It details how Mumbai was formed from seven islands and was controlled by various empires until becoming part of British India. In the 20th century, Mumbai drove India's independence movement and became the capital of Maharashtra state. Two prominent political parties discussed are the Shiv Sena, a nationalist party formed in 1966 to advocate for Marathi people, and the Indian National Congress, which dominated Mumbai's politics until the 1980s when the Shiv Sena gained power. The document outlines the current political representation and control of various parties in the city.

1. A Political Perspective to Mumbai
By- Suhasini Penna

2. History
•Mumbai or Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
•It is the most populous city in India with a total metropolitan area population of
approximately 20.5 million.
•The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing
colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous
empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India
Company.
•Economic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century. It
became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th
century.
•When India became independent in 1947, the city was incorporated into Bombay State.
•In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state
of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as capital. The city was renamed Mumbai in
1996,the name being derived from the Koli goddess—Mumbadevi.

3. Indian National Congress
The first session of the
Indian National
Congress was held in
Bombay from 28–31
December 1885.
The 1960s saw the rise of regionalist politics in
Bombay, with the formation of the Shiv Sena on 19
June 1966, out of a feeling of resentment about the
relative marginalization of the native Marathi
people in Bombay.
The Congress had dominated the politics of Bombay
from independence until the early 1980s, when the
Shiv Sena won the 1985 Bombay municipal
corporation elections.
Shiv Sena
In 1989, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a
major national political party, forged an
electoral alliance with the Shiv Sena to dislodge
the Congress in the Maharashtra Legislative
Assembly elections.
The party headed a campaign to expel South
Indian and North Indian migrants by force. The
Congress had dominated the politics of
Bombay from independence until the early
1980s, when the Shiv Sena won the 1985
Bombay municipal corporation elections.
Politics

4. In 1999, the Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP)
separated from the
Congress, but later allied
with the Congress, to form a
joint venture known as
the Democratic Front.
Currently, other parties such
as Maharashtra Navnirman
Sena (MNS), Samajwadi
Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP), and several
independent candidates also
contest elections in the city.
In the Indian national elections held every five
years, Mumbai is represented by six
parliamentary constituencies: Mumbai
North, Mumbai North West,Mumbai North
East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South
Central, and Mumbai South. A Member of
Parliament (MP) to the Lok Sabha, the lower
house of the Indian Parliament, is elected from
each of the parliamentary constituencies.
In the 2009 national elections, out
of the six parliamentary
constituencies, five were won by the
Congress, and one by the NCP. In
the Maharashtra state assembly
elections held every five years,
Mumbai is represented by 36
assembly constituencies.
Politics

5. Shiv Sena
• is a nationalist political organization in India founded on 19 June 1966 by political cartoonist Bal
Thackeray.
• the party originally emerged out of a movement in Mumbai demanding preferential treatment
for Maharashtra's over migrants to the city. The party operates as a network of street gangs and has
a powerful hold over the Bollywood film industry. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav
Thackeray. Members of Shiv Sena are referred to as Shiv Sainiks.
•the party originally emerged out of a movement in Mumbai demanding preferential treatment
for Maharashtrians over migrants to the city. The party operates as a network of street gangs and has
a powerful hold over the Bollywood film industry. It is currently headed by Thackeray's son, Uddhav
Thackeray. Members of Shiv Sena are referred to as Shiv Sainiks.
•In 1960 Bal Thackeray, a Mumbai-based cartoonist, began publishing the satirical cartoon
weekly Marmik. Through this publication he started disseminating anti-migrant sentiments. On 19
June 1966, Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena as a political organization. At the time of its foundation,
the Shiv Sena was not a political party as such.
•The Shiv Sena especially attracted a large number of disgruntled and often unemployed Marathi
youth, who were attracted by Thackeray's charged anti-migrant oratory. In its early days, the Shiv
Sena followed an anti-South agenda. Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against the
South Indian communities, vandalizing South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire
Marathis.

6. Headquarters : Sena Bhavan located in the Dadar locality

7. • Maharashtra Navnirman Sena