Mumbai is set to have its first female mayor following a lottery held for the top post on Thursday. The leading candidates for the position are Alka Kerkar, a former deputy mayor and three-term corporator, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-term corporator and former Standing Committee member. The BJP-led Mahayuti coalition achieved a significant victory in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections last week, and the lottery process confirmed that the mayor of India’s financial capital will be a woman from the open category.
In total, 17 municipal corporations will appoint mayors from the open category, including Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, and Nagpur, all of which will also have women mayors. Notable civic bodies like Mumbai, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad are included in the list for this category.
However, the process has faced allegations of rigging from opposition parties, who claim it has been manipulated to benefit the ruling coalition. The Shiv Sena (UBT) accused the government of altering reservation rules, which increased the minimum number of seats for Scheduled Tribes from two to three. Kishori Pednekar, a former mayor and leader from the Sena (UBT), argued that this change unjustly disadvantages Scheduled Castes and Tribes, as Mumbai was not accounted for in these considerations.
During the elections held on January 15, the BJP won an unprecedented 89 seats in the BMC, while the Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, secured 29 seats, surpassing the 114-seat majority required to control the city’s largest and wealthiest civic body. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had been in power for 25 years until recently, captured 65 seats, with its allies, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party, securing just 6 and 1 seat, respectively.
Despite their substantial victory, reports indicate that the BJP’s state leaders are dissatisfied with the election outcomes. Sources have described the performance as “below expectations,” attributing the setback to poor coordination within the Mumbai unit and difficulties in candidate selection. The inability to effectively address the cultural pride campaigns presented by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray has also been highlighted as a contributing factor to what some perceived as a disappointing result.
As preparations for the mayoral elections continue, discussions are ongoing regarding other municipal roles. Updates are awaited on meetings among both BJP and Shiv Sena leaders to establish group leadership and finalize registration with the Konkan divisional commissioner. The process for electing the mayor can only commence after the completion of the lottery, with a special session of the BMC house expected to detail the election schedule. Voting is anticipated to take place around January 28 or 29.
Original Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/mumbai-mayor-election-result-2026-live-updates-bmc-lottery-reservation-bjp-shiv-sena-fadnavis-shinde-thackeray-news-101769142788686.html
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Publish Date: 2026-01-23 13:17:00
