The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will hold elections for the mayor and deputy mayor on February 11. The BMC secretary announced the agenda for the upcoming general meeting, which includes the formal election process and the Municipal Commissioner’s report on the newly elected members. This marks the start of a new administrative term for the city’s civic body.
All eyes are on the BMC Headquarters as the city’s new leadership will be determined. The mayor’s position in BMC has been reserved for a woman from the general category. The BJP emerged as the largest party with 89 seats, while Shiv Sena secured 29 seats. Although the BJP-led alliance has a majority, it remains uncertain whether the mayor will be from the BJP or Shiv Sena.
Front-runners for the mayoral post include BJP corporators Sheetal Gambhir Desai, Rutu Tawde, and Tejaswini Ghosalkar. Shiv Sena is expected to secure the deputy mayor’s position in BMC. In other municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, new mayors and deputy mayors have been appointed.
In the Thane Municipal Corporation, Shiv Sena and BJP reached a power-sharing agreement, with Shiv Sena’s Sharmila Pimpalolkar elected as mayor and BJP’s Krishna Patil as deputy mayor. The Mahayuti alliance took control of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation after six years, with Shiv Sena’s Harshali Thawil-Chaudhary becoming mayor and BJP’s Rahul Damle deputy mayor. Despite protests, BJP candidates Dimple Mehta and Dhruvkishor Patil were appointed mayor and deputy mayor in the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, respectively.
Shiv Sena’s Ashwini Nikam and BJP’s Amar Lund were elected as mayor and deputy mayor, respectively, in the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation. In the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi’s Ajeev Patil and Masrhal Lopis were appointed mayor and deputy mayor, respectively.
