Ritu Tawde is BJP's Mumbai Mayor pick, Shiv Sena's Sanjay Ghadi is her Deputy
The race for Mumbai's top civic post has entered its decisive phase, with Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam announcing Ritu Tawde as the party's nominee for Mayor of Mumbai.
BJP corporator Ritu Tawde has been named the Mahayuti alliance’s candidate for the Mumbai Mayor’s post, BJP president Ameet Satam announced on Friday. She is expected to file her nomination shortly for the top post of Asia's richest civic body.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena has nominated corporator Sanjay Ghadi as the alliance’s candidate for Deputy Mayor. The Mahayuti secured a historic mandate in the recently concluded civic elections and the mayor's election is scheduled for February 11.
Tawde’s name was announced at a meeting of BJP corporators convened at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters on Friday evening. Satam formally declared her candidature, saying that the decision was taken after consultations with the party’s top leadership.
The Mayor’s post is reserved for a woman from the general category, prompting the BJP to consider experienced women leaders. Tawde, a three-time corporator from Ghatkopar, has previously served as Chairperson of the BMC’s Education Committee and is regarded as well-versed in civic administration.
If Tawde wins -- as the numbers currently favour her -- she will become the BJP’s second-ever Mayor in Mumbai, after Prabhakar Pai, who served in the post from 1982 to 1983.
As per the alliance arrangement, the Deputy Mayor’s post will go to the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Dahisar corporator Sanjay Ghadi from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena will file his nomination for the Deputy Mayor’s post. His tenure is expected to be 1.25 years, as the Shiv Sena intends to split the term to give an opportunity to four of its corporators.
Ghadi was one of the senior former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporators who switched sides to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
The election for Mumbai’s 78th Mayor is scheduled to be held at the BMC headquarters on February 11 at 12 pm. The vote will mark the end of nearly four years of administrative rule at the civic body, which had been functioning under an appointed administrator.
In the recently held elections in January, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a historic victory, ending the three-decade dominance of the Thackeray family over India's wealthiest civic body. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, won 29 seats, bringing their combined total to 118 -- past the majority mark of 114 in the 227-member house.
On the opposition side, the Shiv Sena (UBT) put up a strong fight to become the second-largest party with 65 seats, followed by the Congress with 24, while Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and Raj Thackeray's MNS secured 8 and 6 seats respectively.