The reservation for the post of mayors in 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra was announced based on a category-wise rotational basis as per the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (Reservation of Offices of Mayors) Rules, 2006. The process faced scrutiny after opposition Shiv Sena – UBT leaders objected to placing Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in the General category, which it had been for the last two terms. Former Mumbai mayor and SS-UBT leader Kishori Pednekar raised concerns about BMC not being in the Scheduled Tribes or OBC category, deeming it an insult to OBCs.
Minister of State (Urban Development Department Madhuri Misal refuted the allegations, stating that the process was conducted in accordance with the law and was transparent. The tenure of mayors will span the next two and a half years. The Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (Reservation of Offices of Mayors) Rules, 2006, have been effective since the 2007 local body polls.
A senior official from the urban development department mentioned that the rotational cycle for mayoral posts’ reservation has been considered since 2007. The rules have only been amended once in 2010, ensuring 50% reservation for women in mayoral posts. During the Draw Process, a transparent rotating drum was used, with chits drawn one by one.
For the Scheduled Tribes (ST) Reservation, the first draw was held for the single urban body reserved for the Scheduled Tribes category. Municipal Corporations with more than three ST corporators were included in the process. Based on the rotation since 2006, the Mayoral post had already been reserved for ST at some point in certain corporations.
