Why Ritu Tawde is more than just BJP’s Mayoral face in Mumbai
Mumbai: The BJP’s nomination of Ritu Tawde for the mayoral post of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is not just a routine civic decision — it is a carefully calibrated political move aimed at reshaping Mumbai’s power structure.
Coming after decades of Shiv Sena dominance over the BMC, Tawde’s candidature signals the BJP’s intent to assert itself as the principal force in the city’s civic and cultural politics.
Her profile — Marathi, a two-time corporator, and a woman leader — fits neatly into the party’s broader electoral strategy.
At the same time, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena named Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for BMC’s Deputy Mayor.
The mayoral and deputy mayoral elections will be held on February 11, 2026, with voting by 227 elected corporators scheduled at 11.30 a.m.
Tawde, a two-time corporator from Ward 132 (Ghatkopar East), is a prominent Marathi face of the BJP and has earlier served as Chairperson of the BMC Education Committee.
If elected, she will become Mumbai’s first BJP Mayor in over four decades — since Prabhakar Pai in 1982 — and the first non-Shiv Sena Mayor in 25 years.
The mayor’s post was reserved for a Woman (General category) through a lottery system. By nominating Tawde, the BJP has sought to project a “Marathi – Konkani – Hindu” leadership face for the city.
For the deputy mayor’s post, the Shiv Sena has nominated Sanjay Ghadi, a senior corporator from Ward 5 (Dahisar).
Ghadi, who was earlier with the Shiv Sena (UBT), joined the Shinde faction following the party split in 2022. As per the alliance arrangement, Ghadi will serve as Deputy Mayor for 15 months, after which the post will be rotated among four Shiv Sena corporators during the five-year term.
The nomination papers were filed at the BMC headquarters on Saturday, following the civic elections held on January 15.
The MahaYuti alliance holds a clear majority in the civic body, with 118 corporators — BJP 89 and Shiv Sena 29. In comparison, the opposition comprises Shiv Sena (UBT) with 65 corporators, Congress 24, and others, including MNS and NCP, 20.
The election will formally bring to an end nearly four years of administrative rule at the BMC, which has been governed by a state-appointed administrator since March 2022.
Earlier, the MahaYuti alliance — comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP — registered a landslide victory in the January 2026 civic elections held across 29 municipal corporations, significantly reshaping Maharashtra’s local political landscape ahead of future state-level contests.
