India, Dec. 19 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is not just another urban local body. It is Asia's richest municipal corporation, controlling a budget larger than several Indian states and shaping the everyday lives of over 12 million residents. Control over the BMC offers political parties' prestige, patronage networks and a foothold in India's financial capital. Yet, despite its immense power and relentless electoral competition, the BMC has produced a curious paradox--no political party has been able to secure and sustain an absolute majority on its own at the civic body. With only one exception in 1978, Mumbai's civic politics has been defined by fractured mandates, alliances and defections.

The BMC's institutional roo...