Mumbai’s civic politics saw a decisive shift on Saturday with BJP corporator Ritu Tawde set to become mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), ending more than two decades of Thackeray-led Shiv Sena dominance in India’s richest municipal body.
Tawde, a corporator from Ghatkopar, will be the first woman mayor of the BMC and the first BJP leader to head the civic body in 25 years. She has earlier served as chairperson of the BMC’s Education Committee.
She will be assisted by deputy mayor Shankar Ghadi of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena has decided to rotate the deputy mayor’s post among four of its corporators during the five-year term.
The names of the mayor and deputy mayor were announced by BJP leader Amit Satnam and Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale.
Also read: Mumbai to get woman mayor
In the 227-member civic house, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 29 seats. The two allies together command 118 corporators, comfortably crossing the simple majority mark of 114.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena contested the polls together and secured 65 seats, marking a significant setback for the Thackeray camp and ending its long-standing control over the BMC.
The BMC is India’s wealthiest municipal corporation, with a budget of Rs 74,427 crore for 2025–26, a 14 per cent increase over the previous year. Addressing Mumbai’s strained urban infrastructure remains one of the biggest challenges before the new civic leadership.
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