Mumbai: Mumbai will get a woman mayor for the second consecutive term, and a mayor from the open category for the third consecutive term, as the post for Mumbai mayor has been reserved for the General (Women) category this time. The lottery determining the reservation was held on Thursday for all 29 municipal corporations, in which the mayoral reservation for the BMC went to General (Women).
Although Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena is demanding the mayor’s post for the first two and a half years, considering the mandate for the BJP-led Mahayuti in the BMC elections, the mayoral post will most likely go in the BJP’s kitty, fulfilling its 30-year-old ambition to install a mayor in the richest municipal corporation in the country. With 89 corporators, the BJP has several options for mayoral candidates, who are party loyalists, multiple-time corporators and known faces in the Mumbai BJP.
The name at the top is senior corporator and former deputy mayor Alka Kerkar (73). Elected from ward 98 (Santacruz West), Kerkar has been a member of the RSS and was elected unopposed as deputy mayor in 2014, when the undivided Shiv Sena’s Snehal Ambekar was elected as mayor.
Alka Kerkar |
Among the top contenders is Ritu Tawade (53), former chairman of the BMC education committee. Tawde is elected from ward 132 (Ghatkopar), the constituency dominated by the Gujarati population. Tawde brings along a combination of belonging from Maratha community and being elected from a BJP-dominated constituency.
Ritu Tawade |
While another name surfacing is Rajashri Shirvadkar (47), a two-term corporator from ward 172 (Sion) and a fierce voice in the BJP, who has been a member of the health and education committees.
Rajashri Shirwadkar |
Sheetal Gambhir |
Sheetal Gambhir (44) is another strong voice within the BJP, elected from Marathi dominated ward 190 (Mahim). Gambhir had a neck-to-neck fight with the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate; however, won by a thin margin of 125 votes.
Other names surfacing for the post of mayor are Tejasvi Ghosalkar (38). Although Ghosalkar joined the BJP before the elections, the fact that she left the Shiv Sena UBT against her family wishes, her father-in-law former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, she can be rewarded with the post of mayor. She has been in the news and amid sympathy after her husband, Sena UBT leader Abhijeet Ghosalar was murdered.
Tejasvi Ghosalkar |
Who were the last two Mayors of Mumbai?
The mayor is appointed for two and a half years. After the 2017 BMC elections, the reservation for the mayoral post went to the General category, after which the undivided Shiv Sena’s late Vishwanath Mahadeshwar was elected as the mayor (2017-2019). In the latter term (2019-2022), Kishori Pednekar served as the mayor. Later in 2022, the Shiv Sena split.
BMC House to be led by women?
As the next mayor of Mumbai is set to be a woman, it is likely the opposition will have a female corporator like Kishori Pednekar as the leader of the opposition. Pednekar is a senior Sena UBT corporator, who also raised a voice on Thursday, alleging that the lottery for the reservation of the mayoral post was rigged. As the BMC House will be active after a gap of four years, and with the changed political dynamics, the House will see high-voltage debates and experienced corporators raising their voices fiercely.
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Appointment of mayor expected by Jan 28-30
However, with BJP-Shinde Sena-RPI contending in alliance, the Mahayuti corporators come to 118, against the minimum requirement of support of 114. Whichever candidate is nominated by the BJP-led Mahayuti, will mostlikely be elected as mayor unopposed.
The Shiv Sena UBT has clarified that it will not be fielding any candidate for mayoral post and ready to sit in the opposition.
The election of the mayor is expected by Januaru 28 - 30.
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