Mumbai Mayor Election Highlights:
The race for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) mayor’s post has narrowed down to Alka Kerkar, a three-time corporator and former deputy mayor, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-term corporator. The Shiv Sena (UBT), however, has alleged that the lottery-based reservation process was “rigged” to favour the ruling alliance.

The BJP-led Mahayuti alliance registered a sweeping victory in last week’s BMC elections. Following the conclusion of the lottery process, it was announced that Mumbai’s next mayor will be a woman from the open category.

Across Maharashtra, 17 municipal corporations will have mayors from the open category, with several civic bodies—including Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Nagpur—set to get women mayors. Major municipal corporations such as Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur fall under this category.

A lottery draw held on Thursday confirmed that Mumbai’s mayoral post will go to a woman from the general category. Apart from Mumbai, cities like Pune, Bhiwandi and Dhule will also have women mayors from the open category, while Navi Mumbai, Malegaon, Nanded and Mira-Bhayandar will follow suit.

The opposition, however, has raised objections to the process. Shiv Sena (UBT) accused the government of manipulating reservation norms to benefit the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance. Former Mumbai mayor and Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar claimed that changes in ST reservation rules unfairly excluded Mumbai from SC, ST and OBC reservations.

In the January 15 civic polls, the BJP won 89 seats in the BMC, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured 29 seats, helping the alliance cross the halfway mark of 114 required to control India’s wealthiest civic body. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC for 25 years until 2022, won 65 seats, while allies MNS and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) secured six and one seat respectively.