Mumbai: The battle over corporators’ honorarium has once again resurfaced in the BMC, with a Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator seeking a fourfold hike from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, amounting to a 300 percent increase. However, the proposal has already hit a political roadblock, with the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and Congress refusing to support the notice of motion, leaving the proposal without the cross-party support needed to sail through the civic body.
Proposal Faces Political Roadblock In Civic Body
Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Deepmala Bade has sought a fourfold hike in BMC corporators’ monthly honorarium from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh, citing inflation, the expanding civic jurisdiction and the growing workload of corporators. In her notice of motion, Bade noted that the honorarium has remained unchanged since 2017, despite rising ward-level responsibilities. Pointing to periodic hikes for MLAs and MPs, she argued that municipal representatives too deserve a commensurate increase to effectively serve citizens. The proposal calls on the Mayor to approach the state government for approval of the hike.
However, the proposed fourfold hike in BMC corporators’ honorarium has sparked a sharp political debate, with the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena Mahayuti rejecting the move and arguing that public money should be spent on public needs, not politicians’ pockets. Leader of the House and BJP group leader Ganesh Khankar said, “We are here to work for the people, not for ourselves. Rs 25,000 is sufficient; there is no need to increase it to Rs 1 lakh.” He instead backed raising the corporator development fund from Rs 60 lakh to Rs 1 crore, saying soaring costs have made it difficult to complete essential ward-level works within the existing allocation.
Shiv Sena Rejects Honorarium Increase Demand
Shiv Sena (Shinde) group leader Amey Ghole also rejected the honorarium hike, saying, “We are here to solve citizens’ problems, address their grievances and ensure they receive civic amenities. We will not support a demand to increase the corporators' honorarium.” Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi shifted the focus to ward development, backing an increase in the corporator fund. “We are looking for an increase in the corporator fund so that several pending works in our respective wards can be taken up,” he said.
The demand for better honorarium and facilities for BMC corporators is not new. In April this year, Samajwadi Party corporator Amrin Abrahani, in a letter to Mayor Ritu Tawde, had sought a similar hike, along with a Rs 25,000 monthly staff allowance and Rs 15,000–20,000 travel allowance, or an official vehicle. She had also demanded pension for corporators completing one or more terms and dedicated office space in their respective wards. Abrahani had argued that corporators’ honorarium should be brought on par with legislators, who receive Rs 1.6 lakh–Rs 2.5 lakh a month, besides benefits such as official vehicles, staff and pension.
The notice of motion is expected to be placed before the BMC's next general body meeting. BMC corporators’ honorarium has remained unchanged at Rs 25,000 since 2017, when it was raised from Rs 10,000 in 2012. The demand for a fresh hike comes as the country’s richest municipal corporation has presented a Rs 80,952 crore budget for 2026-27.
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