Ritu Tawde takes charge as Mumbai’s next mayor after being elected unopposed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Ghadi is her deputy.
Her elevation comes almost three years after Mumbai last had a woman mayor, with the previous term ending in 2022. Tawde’s appointment also brings to a close the Shiv Sena’s uninterrupted 25-year hold over the BMC mayoral post and marks the BJP’s first mayoral victory in Mumbai since Prabhakar Pai’s brief tenure in 1982–83.
Political shift after UBT Sena steps aside
The path to an uncontested election was cleared after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) chose not to field a candidate against Tawde. The decision reportedly followed internal deliberations, including a meeting at Thackeray’s residence.
Former mayor and Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar said the party’s move was guided by respect for Marathi identity and an acceptance of the Mahayuti alliance’s numerical strength in the 227-member civic body. The mayoral post carries a tenure of two and a half years, while the deputy mayor’s position will rotate every 15 months.
Tawde’s deputy will be Sanjay Ghadi of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Ghadi, a corporator from Ward No. 5, had earlier defected from Sena (UBT) and was nominated by the Mahayuti for the post. Party leaders confirmed that multiple corporators would be accommodated in the deputy mayor’s role through a split tenure arrangement.
Who is Ritu Tawde
Aged 53, Tawde is a two-time corporator from Ghatkopar East. She first entered the BMC in 2012, later serving as chairperson of the civic body’s Education Committee. During her earlier term, she raised issues related to infrastructure, public safety and civic amenities. Although she lost the 2017 elections, she made a comeback in the latest polls, winning her ward with 19,810 votes.
She filed her nomination at the municipal secretary’s office in the presence of senior Mahayuti leaders, including minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha and BJP Mumbai chief Ameet Satam.