NEW DELHI: BJP corporator Ritu Tawde is set to become Mumbai’s next mayor after being elected unopposed, marking the party’s return to the post after 44 years and ending the Shiv Sena’s uninterrupted 25-year hold over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).The contest turned uncontested after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) decided not to field a challenger against Tawde, effectively clearing her path to the mayor’s office. Though the mayor’s role is largely ceremonial, it carries strong political and symbolic significance in Mumbai’s identity-driven civic politics.Tawde’s elevation will be the BJP’s first mayoral win in Mumbai since Prabhakar Pai’s tenure in 1982–83. It also means the undivided Shiv Sena, which controlled the BMC from 1997 to 2022, will not hold the mayor’s post after nearly three decades.On the final day of nominations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, a BJP ally in the ruling Mahayuti, nominated Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for deputy mayor. The party announced that the deputy mayor’s tenure would be split, allowing multiple corporators to serve during the term.A senior BMC official told PTI that only one nomination each was received for the mayor’s and deputy mayor’s posts before the 6 pm deadline. “We have received just one nomination from BJP’s Ritu Tawde for the mayor’s post and another from Sanjay Ghadi for the deputy mayor’s post,” the official said.Although opposition parties have not filed nominations, the election process will be formally completed on February 11, which is also the last day for withdrawal of nominations. The mayor’s post has been reserved for a woman candidate from the open category following a draw of lots by the Urban Development Department.Tawde (53), a corporator from Ghatkopar East, filed her nomination at the municipal secretary’s office in the presence of senior Mahayuti leaders, including minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and BJP Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam. Speaking to reporters, she said a safer and more developed Mumbai was her priority and that she wanted to work for citizens of the cosmopolitan city.The Shiv Sena (UBT) was expected to challenge the BJP nominee but decided against it after a meeting at party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s residence. Former Mumbai mayor and Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar said the decision reflected respect for Marathi identity.“The BJP had to accept that Marathi manoos is a Hindu. If the mayor of Mumbai is Marathi manoos, we won’t do anything that amounts to a bad omen. We have accepted the arithmetic and will play the role of a strong opposition and fight for Mumbai,” Pednekar said.The Sena (UBT) had raised the Marathi identity plank in last month’s BMC elections, where it contested in alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats in the 227-member civic body. The ruling Mahayuti alliance, with a combined strength of 118 corporators, comfortably crossed the halfway mark of 114.Addressing a press conference earlier in the day, BJP’s Satam said that the city was set to get a BJP mayor after four decades. “We have the backing of 118 corporators and the support of more members. The Mahayuti will work to free the BMC from the clutches of corruption,” he said.Satam also said that the alliance had asserted from the beginning that Mumbai’s mayor would be Marathi and Hindu. “The city will now get a Marathi, Malvani, Konkani and Hindu mayor,” he added.Reacting sharply, the NCP (SP) criticized the BJP’s choice, saying selecting a former Congress leader as mayor had demoralized party loyalists. NCP (SP) spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, “By choosing a former Congresswoman as mayor, the BJP has insulted its own loyal corporators who have given their blood, sweat and tears for the party.”Tawde, who joined the BJP in 2012 after quitting the Congress, was elected as a corporator the same year. During her first term, she chaired the BMC’s Education Committee and raised issues related to infrastructure, water supply and public safety. She was also in the spotlight for raising objections to mannequins displaying objectionable clothing in shops.Ghadi, a corporator from Ward No. 5 who defected from Sena (UBT) to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, will serve as deputy mayor for 15 months, party secretary Sanjay More said.The BMC, India’s richest civic body, has been under a state-appointed administrator since March 2022 following the end of the previous term. Its budget for 2025–26 stands at Rs 74,450 crore, higher than that of several Indian states.
