Mumbai: BMC’s Tablet Plan For 237 Corporators Stalls Over BJP’s ‘Swadeshi’ Device Demand

Mumbai, September 5, 2026: The BMC’s proposal to equip all 237 corporators, including 10 nominated members, with 13-inch tablets has hit a roadblock over the BJP’s insistence on “swadeshi” devices.

The tablets currently available on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal are largely from foreign manufacturers, leaving the civic administration caught between its digital ambitions and the BJP’s push for Indian-made products.

Despite the digital age, the BMC continues to rely on physical copies of committee and General Body agendas. While committee papers are delivered to respective members, the monthly General Body agenda is hand-delivered to all corporators by staff of the Municipal Secretary’s Department. With several proposals running into hundreds of pages, the practice costs the civic exchequer crores of rupees in paper, printing, transportation, distribution and staff overtime.

BJP Pushes For Indian Devices

The ruling BJP in BMC had proposed a dedicated app to give corporators instant access to House and committee agendas, proposals and supporting documents through unique proposal codes.

After using the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) to procure 27 educational items this year, the BMC also explored the portal for tablets. However, advanced models available on GeM are largely from foreign manufacturers, including Chinese and Japanese brands.

“We need advanced tablets for corporators, but the best available options are not from Indian companies. We have therefore been asked to hold the proposal,” a civic official said.

House Leader and BJP group leader in BMC Ganesh Khankar said, "Many corporators are digitally savvy and prefer receiving agendas online. The aim was to move civic proceedings towards a paperless system. However, we will procure only Indian-made tablets. As the required devices are unavailable from Indian companies on GeM, we cancelled the proposal,” Khankar said.

Earlier Digital Push Failed

The BMC has tried going digital before without much success. In 2012, a year after corporators were elected, the civic body provided each representative with a Rs 35,000 laptop, smartphone and SIM card to reduce paperwork and digitally track ward-level development works. Five years later, corporators were asked to return the laptops, with an option to retain them for Rs 1,000.

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In 2017, the BMC again proposed replacing laptops with tablets/iPads, arguing that the devices would be more practical and user-friendly for corporators on the move. However, the proposal never materialised.

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