Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde Seeks Prior Approval For Proposals Issued In Her Name Amid Social Media Contract Row

Mumbai, August 21, 2026: Following controversies over proposals issued in her name, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has directed Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide to seek her prior approval before processing or clearing any such proposal.

The move follows disputes over the proposed renovation of the Mayor’s bungalow in Byculla Zoo and the appointment of social media personnel.

The Rs 25.12 lakh BMC contract for managing the Mayor’s social media was listed before the Standing Committee on Thursday but was not taken up amid the controversy. Committee chairman and senior BJP corporator Prabhakar Shinde declared the proposal “not taken”, with no discussion held.

The contract covers social media management for the Mayor’s office for one year, from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027, and has been awarded to M/s Runtime Solutions Pvt Ltd. The proposal document states that no tender process was followed for awarding the contract.

General Body Meeting

The issue resurfaced during Friday’s BMC General Body meeting, where BJP corporator Preeti Satam demanded that an assistant commissioner be appointed to head the civic body’s Public Relations Department.

Satam said that if the Mayor’s image was being tarnished, action should be taken against the department concerned, adding that any attempt to damage the Mayor’s image should not be tolerated.

Leader of the House Ganesh Khankar backed the demand, saying he supported the appointment of an assistant commissioner to head the PRO department.

Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi questioned why the Standing Committee had not discussed the social media proposal. He said a discussion could have clarified how the Mayor’s name came to be associated with the proposal, adding that he felt the Mayor’s image was being tarnished “by its own people”.

Opposition Raises Questions

Opposition leader and Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Kishori Pednekar hit back, alleging that “it is the Mayor who is talking through Preeti Satam” while demanding action against the PRO department.

Tawde said the PRO department has a budget of nearly Rs 100 crore and therefore requires a senior officer to head it. A decision on the matter was awaited from the House.

Mayor Seeks Prior Approval

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Tawde said she had written to the Municipal Commissioner making it clear that if any proposal using her name was brought before the Standing Committee in future without her consent, she would take action.

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Tawde had earlier clarified that she had not sought the second phase of renovation work around the Mayor’s bungalow. She had also distanced herself from the proposal to appoint a private agency or personnel to handle social media for her office.

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