Mumbai: Maharashtra Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane on Saturday, February 7, reacted as Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Ritu Tawde has been named as the Mahayuti's nominee for the post of Mumbai Mayor after the conclusion of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Elections.
Since the BMC election dates were announced, there had been intense debate over who would lead Mumbai. Sena UBT and the Mahayuti alliance repeatedly emphasised that the mayor should be a Marathi leader. Rane, one of the prominent voices advocating for a Marathi Hindu Mayor, had earlier criticised AIMIM leader Waris Pathan for asking, “Why can’t a Khan, Pathan, Sheikh, Qureshi, Syed become the Mumbai Mayor?”
Now, following the Mahayuti alliance’s announcement, Rane said that his earlier prediction came true. He wrote, "I had said. Mumbai's Mayor. Will be Hindu, Will be Marathi, Will be from the Grand Alliance! Jai Shri Ram! Mumbai loves Mahadev."
In another tweet, he also congratulated Ritu Tawade's nomination, saying that a true Malvani person never falls short of responsibility. He added that with her leadership, Mumbai’s development is sure to progress.
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"Our Malvani sister Ritu Tawde’s selection as the Mayor of Mumbai is now confirmed, and we heartily congratulate her and wish her the very best for the journey ahead! A true Malvani person never falls short when it comes to responsibility, and Mumbai’s development will now definitely progress under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis — that much is certain!! "
Apart from Tawde, Sanjay Ghadi from Shinde's Sena was nominated for the Deputy Mayor post. Both of them filed their nominations today at the municipal secretary's office in the presence of Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BJP's Mumbai unit chief Amit Satam, former Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale, and other leaders of Mahayuti.
Meanwhile, the mayoral post was reserved for the women’s open category through a lottery conducted by the state Urban Development Department last month.
Over the past two weeks, several BJP corporators, including Priti Satam, Alka Kerkar, Ritu Tawde, and Rajshree Shirwadkar, were being considered as potential contenders for the post. However, the BJP maintained strict secrecy and did not announce the name of its mayoral candidate until the last moment.
Speaking of Ritu Tawde, she is a two-term corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar, an area with a sizeable Gujarati voter base. In the 2017 civic polls, she contested from Ward 127 but lost to Tukaram Krishna Patil of the then United Shiv Sena by a margin of 4,024 votes.
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