By BJP Clinches Mayor’s Post in Historic Shift at BMC
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to take control of the Mumbai mayor’s office after 25 years, with Ritu Tawde emerging as the party’s mayoral candidate.
This marks the first time since 1997 that the mayor’s post at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will not be held by the Shiv Sena.
Who Is Ritu Tawde
Ritu Tawde, a corporator from Ghatkopar, has previously served as the Chairperson of the BMC Education Committee and is considered an experienced civic leader within the BJP’s Mumbai unit.
Her name was formally announced by BJP leader Amit Satam on Saturday.
Shiv Sena Gets Deputy Mayor Post
The Shiv Sena will hold the Deputy Mayor’s post, with Sanjay Shankar Ghadi elected to the position. Ghadi, a corporator from Ward No. 5, will serve as Deputy Mayor for 15 months.
The Shiv Sena has decided to rotate the Deputy Mayor’s post among four of its corporators during the term. Ghadi is among the leaders who joined Eknath Shinde during the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena, which led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale announced Ghadi’s candidature.
BMC Election Results Snapshot
In the elections to the 227-member civic body:
- BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats
- Shiv Sena secured 29 seats
- The ruling alliance commands 118 corporators, comfortably crossing the majority mark of 114
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC continuously for 25 years, won 65 seats. Its allies — MNS and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) — won six and one seat respectively.
Other parties’ performance:
- Congress: 24 seats
- AIMIM: 8 seats
- NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 3 seats
- Samajwadi Party: 2 seats
First Civic Polls After Nine Years
The high-stakes BMC elections were conducted after a nine-year gap. Since March 7, 2022, the civic body had been run by a state-appointed administrator following the expiry of the previous term.
India’s Richest Civic Body
The BMC remains India’s richest municipal corporation, with its 2025–26 budget estimated at ₹74,450 crore, making control of the civic body politically and administratively significant.
