In a landmark shift for Mumbai’s civic politics, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has secured a clear majority in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) following the 2026 elections, capturing 118 seats in the 227-member house—well above the 114 required for control. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest single party with 89 seats, while its ally, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), won 29. This outcome ends nearly three decades of dominance by the Thackeray family over India’s richest municipal corporation.
Opposition parties include Shiv Sena (UBT) with 65 seats, Congress with 24, AIMIM with 8, and MNS with 6.
Despite the decisive mandate, the selection of Mumbai’s next mayor remains pending, as the process hinges on a unique procedural step: a lottery, or draw of lots, conducted by the Maharashtra Urban Development Department.
The mayor is elected not directly by voters but by the newly constituted BMC corporators in a special house meeting. Before nominations can be filed or candidates named, the post’s reservation category must be determined. This system rotates the mayoral position among designated groups—Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), women, or general—to promote inclusive representation over successive terms.
The category is not fixed in advance; instead, the Urban Development Department holds a draw of lots to select it impartially. Chits bearing the names of eligible categories are prepared based on the rotation roster, and one is drawn publicly. The selected category is then officially notified.
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Only after this notification can political parties proceed with the mayoral election. Reports from NDTV indicate the lottery is expected soon, with the mayor’s election to follow approximately 10 days later—potentially placing the new civic head in office by late January 2026.
This mechanism ensures fairness and neutrality in distributing leadership opportunities in urban local bodies, preventing any single group from monopolizing the position indefinitely. While the Mahayuti alliance’s majority gives it the upper hand in securing the mayoralty once the category is set, the lottery introduces an element of unpredictability to the otherwise straightforward post-election process.
The BMC elections, held across Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, concluded with Mahayuti triumphs in most, but Mumbai’s ceremonial yet influential mayor will be finalized only after this mandatory draw completes the legal formalities.
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