In a landmark development for Mumbai’s civic politics, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Ritu Tawde was today unanimously elected as the mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), becoming the city’s first citizen and the eighth woman to hold the prestigious post. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) corporator Sanjay Ghadi was simultaneously chosen unopposed as deputy mayor.
The announcement came amid noisy protests from the opposition benches, where members from Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) raised slogans such as “Pannas Khoke Ekdam Okay” and “Chor Chor” during the proceedings at the BMC headquarters. Despite the disruptions, the election proceeded smoothly, with BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani formally declaring the results in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
The ceremony marked the end of nearly four years of administrative rule in the BMC, which had been in place since March 2022 following the completion of the previous elected corporators’ term. This period, overseen first by Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and later by Gagrani, represents the longest spell of bureaucratic governance in the civic body’s 150-year history.
Outside the civic headquarters in south Mumbai, large crowds of BJP supporters gathered, waving saffron flags and chanting victory slogans as they celebrated what they described as a historic triumph for the party. The area from the BMC building to Hutatma Chowk was adorned with saffron banners, symbolizing the BJP’s strong return to dominance in the civic body.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 2026 BMC elections, securing 89 seats out of 227 wards, while its ally Shiv Sena (Shinde) won 29. With four corporators from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) joining the alliance, the Mahayuti coalition now commands a solid majority of 122 seats, consolidating its grip on the corporation.
This victory fulfills a long-standing ambition for the BJP, which last held the mayor’s post four decades ago under Dr. Prabhakar Pai from 1982 to 1983. Since 1997, the undivided Shiv Sena had dominated the BMC, often refusing to share key positions like the mayoralty with allies despite seat-sharing arrangements.
The opposition’s decision—led by Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena—not to field a candidate against Tawde paved the way for her unopposed election on February 11. Fadnavis and Shinde, addressing the gathering after the results, thanked Mumbaikars and pledged focused efforts on the city’s development over the next five years.
With elected corporators now back in charge across Mumbai’s 227 wards and 26 administrative zones, the BMC is set to resume normal democratic functioning after years under commissioner-led administration.