Mumbai Mayor Election Highlights: Mumbai is slated to get a new Mayor next week after nearly nine years — with multiple parties staking a claim to the post. The ruling Mahayuti alliance had swept the civic body polls last week and now holds a slim majority in the 227-member House. But the possibility of Mumbai getting its first BJP Mayor has irked Opposition parties and even its own ally.
The Mayoral post is largely symbolic but serves as a clear sign of political dominance within the fragmented political landscape. It is also subject to reservation by rotation — a step that must be finalised before political parties can even name candidates.
Political parties stake claim to Mumbai Mayor post
Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde has broached the possibility of a Mayor from his own party — citing the sentiments of “party activists”. It is speculated that the Deputy Chief Minister is keen to secure the top post for Shiv Sena (at least for the first two-and-a-half years) since it is the birth centenary year of party founder Bal Thackeray.
Opposition leaders have also hinted at the possibility of a major upset following the election results — with the Shiv Sena (UBT) insisting that circumstances could change at any moment. Members of the rival Eknath Shinde camp were sequestered away at a hotel soon after their win amid allegations and counter-claims about poaching.
Lottery for Mumbai Mayor on Thursday – What does this mean?
The Mayor of Mumbai is subject to a rotational reservation format — determined through a lottery. It will be decided whether the post will be reserved for women, SC, ST or OBC category. It will not be open to the general category as the last mayor hailed from this segment. This process is slated to take place on Thursday (January 22).
The BJP-Sena coalition has suitable candidates in case the lottery determines that the next mayor will be a man or woman from the SC or OBC category. But there are only two ST corporators within the 227-member BMC — both from the Shiv Sena (UBT). They will be the only corporators on the ballot if the lottery reserves the mayoral post for the ST category.
BMC Mayor Election LIVE:
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: ‘Mumbaikars punished UBT for 25 years of misrule,' says Eknath Shinde
Shiv Sena chief leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday took a swipe at the Shiv Sena-UBT Chief and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, saying that Mumbaikars punished him for years of misrule in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and also rejected their emotional politics.
Speaking at a press conference, he asserted that the Mahayuti alliance remains rock solid and will install Mayors in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Ulhasnagar.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said that despite holding power in the BMC for 25 years -- and leading the state for two-and-a-half years since 2019 -- the UBT faction consistently stalled key infrastructure projects.
"They (Shiv Sena-UBT) pushed Mumbaikars into potholes for 25 years and engaged in corruption even during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the Mahayuti government took over the charge of Maharashtra in 2022, we cleared all hurdles and initiated vital projects like the seven sewage treatment plants," he added.
- via IANS
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Six frontrunners in Mumbai mayoral race
According to The Indian Express, six corporators have emerged as frontrunners for the Mumbai mayoral post, namely, Rajashree Shirvadkar, Sheetal Gambhir, Asha Marathe, Harshita Narwekar, Ritu Tawde and Alka Kerkar.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: How does the lottery system works?
In Maharashtra, mayors are chosen by elected corporators, with eligibility determined through a draw-based reservation system. The category of the mayoral post is finalised first under this system, after which political parties nominate their candidates accordingly.
The mayor’s position is reallocated every two-and-a-half years through a lottery that rotates between general and reserved categories.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: When will BMC mayor be announced?
The mayoral election process began with the reservation lottery on Thursday. A special session of the BMC house will now be called to inform members about the mayoral election timetable. A seven-day period is typically given after this notice --- meaning the election is expected to take place around January 28 or 29.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Sena UBT alleges bias
According to a Loksatta report, the Shiv Sena (Thackeray) has objected to the municipal reservation in Mumbai and alleged that the reservation was drawn according to the will of the ruling party.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BMC mayor term to be split into two
The term of the BMC Mayor is often divided into two parts --- each 2.5 years long. A new election is typically held to elect the second leader. This system was also used in the previous BMC term.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BJP, Sena to hold meetings to elect group leaders
According to reports, The BJP is set to meet its newly elected corporators over the next two or three days to select a group leader and complete the group registration process with the Konkan divisional commissioner
BJP Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam told PTI on Thursday that the allied Shiv Sena will also hold a similar meeting during this time. After that, both parties will approach the Konkan divisional commissioner to complete the registration, Satam told reporters.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Mumbai civic body asked to review name of KEM Hospital
Maharashtra minister and Mumbai Suburban co-guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said on Thursday that the renaming of English names of Mumbai's railway stations was under discussion.
"The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation should also review the name of KEM Hospital. The name 'King Edward' is a symbol of British rule and has no relevance in present-day India," he said.
He clarified that the final decision on the issue would be taken by the municipal administration, adding that the Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College is located on the KEM hospital premises.
He issued the statement after attending the centenary programme of KEM Hospital and Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College, where he also made suggestions related to patient care.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Sena (UBT) corporator resurfaces amid defection buzz
Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Sheetal Mhaske on Thursday denied reports that she had gone incommunicado and asserted she was very much with the party.
Talking to reporters, Mhaske, who was not reachable on Wednesday, said she had gone for pilgrimage after her victory and may have been out of reach while performing puja.
The newly elected corporator said she met party secretary Milind Narvekar upon her return late Wednesday night. Later, she also met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: UBT leader hints at possible split in Shinde-led Shiv Sena
Amid simmering tensions within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Thursday took a swipe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming that another split in the Shiv Sena could be on the cards.
Drawing parallels with the 2022 break-up of the undivided Shiv Sena, Dubey said political history was likely to repeat itself in the coming days. He suggested that a new faction may emerge from the Eknath Shinde-led Sena during the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Hinting at possible leadership of the proposed breakaway group, Dubey indicated that Maharashtra minister Uday Ravindra Samant could be at the helm of the new faction.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Lone independent corporator in Thane civic body extends support to Shiv Sena
Pramila Mukund Keni, the lone independent candidate elected to the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), has officially extended her support to the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Keni contested from ward number 23 as an independent after the Shiv Sena did not give a ticket to her. The NCP (SP), headed by Sharad Pawar, supported her during her campaign.
She submitted a formal letter of support to the Konkan Divisional Commissioner in the presence of local Shiv Sena leaders on Thursday.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BJP, Sena to hold meetings
The BJP will convene a meeting of its newly elected corporators within the next two to three days to elect a group leader and complete the formal registration process with the Konkan divisional commissioner, Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam said on Thursday.
He added that alliance partner Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will also hold a similar meeting in the same timeframe.
Once both parties finalise their internal processes, they will jointly approach the Konkan divisional commissioner for official registration, Satam told reporters.
BJP promises civic reforms
Reiterating the party’s commitment to Mumbai, Satam said the BJP would provide leadership that aligns with the expectations of city residents. “Mumbai will be free of potholes, waterlogging and corruption,” he said, outlining the party’s priorities for civic governance.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Pune, PCMC and Navi Mumbai will also have women mayors
Besides Mumbai, women from the open category will head several other municipal corporations across Maharashtra. Pimpri Chinchwad (PCMC), Pune, Bhiwandi and Dhule are set to get women mayors from the general category. Similarly, Navi Mumbai, Malegaon, Nanded and Mira Bhayandar will also see women elected as mayors from the open category, marking a strong representation of women in the state’s urban local bodies.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BJP says Uddhav Thackeray facing fallout of 2019 break with allies
The BJP on Thursday claimed that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray is now facing the political consequences of his 2019 decision to part ways with Devendra Fadnavis, following the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) support to the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC).
State BJP media in-charge Navnath Ban said the backing of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena by five MNS corporators reflects a new political equation driven by development and Hindutva. He alleged that the Sena (UBT) had weakened the MNS politically despite an alliance in Mumbai.
Ban said the KDMC development could be repeated elsewhere, adding that voters increasingly associate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Fadnavis with governance and development. He also dismissed criticism from Sena (UBT) leaders, accusing them of lacking moral authority after the 2019 alliance breakdown and alleged past silence on sensitive issues.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Criticism from the Opposition
Mumbai’s next mayor will be a woman from the general category, following a lottery draw conducted on Thursday, an official said, a decision that immediately drew criticism from the Opposition, which alleged the process was “fixed” to favour the ruling alliance.
The draw dealt a blow to the Shiv Sena (UBT), which had hoped the mayor’s post would be reserved for a Scheduled Tribe (ST) woman. Both eligible candidates in that category belong to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, and a reservation in their favour could have boosted its prospects in the civic body.
In the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 29 seats. Together, the alliance crossed the halfway mark of 114 seats required to control India’s largest and wealthiest civic body.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC for 25 years since 1997 when the party was undivided, won 65 seats in the elections. Its allies — the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) — managed to win six and one seat, respectively, limiting the Opposition’s ability to challenge the ruling combine in the mayoral race.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Opposition flags OBC, ST exclusion in Mumbai Mayor reservation lottery
The opposition has objected to the exclusion of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) from the reservation lottery for the Mumbai mayoral post, held as part of a draw for 29 municipal corporations that went to the polls last week.
The draw triggered strong objections from the Shiv Sena (UBT), which questioned why Mumbai was not included in the OBC reservation list. The Congress, meanwhile, raised concerns over the reservation draw process for Parbhani.
Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, who supervised the lottery, said the objections raised by opposition parties had been taken note of. However, she asserted that the reservation exercise was conducted strictly in accordance with the law and in a transparent manner.
Former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar alleged that the government had deliberately excluded Mumbai from the OBC draw. She pointed out that the mayoral post in Mumbai was reserved under the Open category in both 2017 and 2019. “As per the rotational reservation system, the post should have been included in the OBC draw this time. By denying this, the government has insulted the OBC community,” Pednekar said.
Kishori Pednekar, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) party and a former mayor of Mumbai, doesn't like the lottery-based method used to choose the next mayor of Mumbai.
An official statement said that the Maharashtra Urban Development Department held a lottery on Thursday. The winner was a woman from the general category, who will be the next mayor of Mumbai.
Pednekar, criticised the process, saying that the lottery rules were changed without anyone being told or consulted first. She said that because the last two mayors were elected from the general category, the next mayoral position should have been set aside for either the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.
"We condemn the way the procedure was carried out," Pednekar said again, saying that her party was against the lottery decision, as quoted by PTI.
The BJP had emerged as the single largest party as votes were counted last week --- winning 89 seats in the 227-seat Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Fellow Mahayuti ally Shiv Sena (led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) secured 29 seats. The rival Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray won 65 seats in the BMC, while the MNS added 6 seats to the alliance tally.
Key contenders for Mumbai Mayor:
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Courts rejects bail plea of two former Sena UBT corporators
According to a Loksatta report, a Kalyan court has rejected the bail applications of former Shiv Sena corporator Nitin Matya Patil and former corporator Ravi Matya Patil of Dombivli for the second time. They are facing arrest in connection with the attempted murder of a BJP worker.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: These areas will get OBC category mayors
Eight municipalities in the state will get mayors from the OBC category following the lottery on Thursday. This includes Ulhasnagar and Panvel within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
- Jalgaon, Chandrapur, Akola and Ahilyanagar will be reserved for women candidates from the OBC category.
- Panvel, Ichalkaranji, Ulhasnagar, Kolhapur will also have a mayor from the OBC category.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BJP leads with 31 corporators eligible for BMC top role
The BJP has 25 eligible corporators, Shiv Sena (UBT) 18 and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nine within the BMC.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Which municipal corporations will have open category mayors?
The reservation lottery has determined that Mumbai will get a woman Mayor from the ‘Open’ category. Women candidates from the general category will also become the mayors in the municipal corporations of Pune, Navi Mumbai, Dhule, Nanded, Malegaon, Nashik, Nagpur.
The lottery system determined on Thursday that Mumbai would have a woman Mayor from the 'Open' category.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Lottery held - A look at division of SC, ST corporators
Shiv Sena UBT has three SC corporators, compared to two from the BJP and one from the Shinde Sena. In the SC women segment, Shiv Sena UBT again leads with four corporators, followed by the Shinde Sena with two and the BJP with one.
In the Scheduled Tribe categories, only Shiv Sena UBT has representation, with one corporator each in ST and ST women, while the BJP and the Shinde Sena have none.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Lottery held - A look at OBC category
In the OBC category, the BJP leads with 17 corporators, while Shiv Sena UBT has 11 and the Shinde Sena three. Among OBC women, the BJP has 13 corporators, Shiv Sena UBT seven and the Shinde group three.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Lottery held - How do parties line up against Open category?
In the Open category, the BJP has 31 corporators, Shiv Sena UBT 20 and the Shinde Sena 11. If the post is reserved for Women, the BJP again has the largest pool with 25 corporators, followed by Shiv Sena UBT with 18 and the Shinde faction with nine.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Ex-BMC chief Chahal to head Mumbai Police Housing Project with MoS status
Senior IAS officer and former BMC commissioner I S Chahal has been appointed chairman of the Maharashtra government's Mumbai Police Housing Township Project, a post carrying the Minister of State status.
Chahal, who is currently Additional Chief Secretary (Home), will take charge after his superannuation at the end of this month, according to a government resolution (GR) issued on Wednesday.
The former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner last year missed out in the race to become the chief secretary to his batchmate Rajesh Aggarwal.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Sena UBT leader heralds 'new alliance called URS'
"In 2022, a faction broke away from our party, the Shiv Sena, and established itself in Surat. Its name was ESS. Now, history is about to repeat itself once again... A new alliance is about to be formed on the soil of Davos. The name is URS... Soon, Maharashtra and Mumbai will see a new alliance, which will be called URS," Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey told ANI.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: How does the reservation system work?
The Mayor of Mumbai is subject to a rotational reservation format — determined through a lottery. It is mandatory to provide reservation for the post of mayor to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. This provision is implemented in the state through the Municipal Corporation Act.
The previous Mayor of Mumbai had been a woman from the General category. This time the post will be reserved for corporators fromthe SC, ST or OBC categories.
A rotation list has been prepared by the officials regarding the eligible categories. A public lottery will be drawn today to make the final decision. A special meeting of the Municipal Corporation will be called once the reservation system is determined.
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: NCP corporators flag absence of party leaders at BMC meetings
Members of Ajit Pawar-headed NCP on Wednesday flagged the absence of senior leaders from action in recently held Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections at a meeting chaired by the party's poll head Nawab Malik. The Nationalist Congress Party, which contested independently, won only three seats in the 227-member BMC.