Mumbai to Get Woman Mayor for Second Consecutive Term as Mayoral Lottery Sparks Political Controversy
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will have a woman mayor for the second consecutive term after being placed in the Open (Women) category during Thursday's lottery draw for mayoral reservations. This development comes amid significant political controversy, with opposition parties raising strong objections over the exclusion of Mumbai from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation list.
Lottery Process and Reservation Distribution
Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal oversaw the lottery process for 29 municipal corporations that recently went to polls. The reservation distribution revealed that one mayoral post has been reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, though no post was allotted to the ST (Women) category as per regulatory provisions.
Three posts have been reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC), with two specifically designated for SC (Women). Eight posts have been reserved for the OBC category, including four for OBC (Women). From the remaining 17 corporations, nine mayoral posts have been reserved for the General Category (Women), while eight posts fall under the Open (General) category.
Opposition Objections and Government Response
The Shiv Sena (UBT) strongly questioned why Mumbai was excluded from the OBC reservation draw, with former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar alleging that the government has "insulted OBCs by deliberately denying them this opportunity." Pednekar pointed out that in 2017 and 2019, the mayoral post in Mumbai was reserved under the Open category, and as per the rotational system, it should have been included in the OBC draw this time.
Pednekar further accused the government of introducing a new rule requiring a corporation to have at least three ST corporators to be eligible for ST reservation, claiming this was done specifically to benefit the ruling side. The Congress also raised concerns over the reservation draw for Parbhani.
Minister Madhuri Misal rejected these allegations, stating that the objections raised by the Thackeray group were not in accordance with the rules. "They want reservations as per their demand, which cannot be done," she asserted, maintaining that the draw was conducted strictly as per the law and in a transparent manner.
Rationale Behind the Draw and City-wise Impact
Explaining the rationale behind the draw, Misal clarified that eight mayoral posts had to be reserved for OBCs based on population norms. After excluding corporations that had already received OBC reservation in previous terms, only three remained, with Jalna already reserved for Scheduled Castes. The remaining six were selected alphabetically.
She added that ST reservation could only be applied in municipal corporations with more than three ST corporators, and the government had acted strictly as per established rules. The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) will have the only ST mayor in the state, while Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's home turf of Thane will have a mayor from the Scheduled Caste category.
All major cities in Maharashtra including Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur will have woman mayors, with the BJP likely to have its mayor in all three cities. The previous mayor of the BMC was Kishori Pednekar of the undivided Shiv Sena.
Political Maneuvering and Candidate Selection
With the next Mumbai mayoral post going to women in the open category, candidates have already started lobbying with state leaders. State BJP president Ravindra Chavan indicated that "the final decision on the next mayoral post will be taken after CM Devendra Fadnavis returns from Davos to Mumbai on January 24."
In the recently concluded BMC polls for 227 candidates, women candidates across party lines numbered 123. The BJP won 89 seats, with women constituting 49 of those victories. Six candidates have emerged as frontrunners for the mayoral post:
- Rajashree Shirvadkar (ward no 172)
- Sheetal Gambhir (ward no 190)
- Asha Marathe (ward no 152)
- Harshita Narwekar (ward no 125)
- Ritu Tawde (Ward no 132)
- Alka Kerkar (Ward 98)
A source within the BJP revealed that the most important criteria for selecting the next woman mayor would be an individual's image and loyalty to the organisation, along with their ability to work hard and connect with people throughout the year. This selection process highlights the strategic importance of the mayoral position in India's financial capital.
The mayoral lottery has thus set the stage for another term of female leadership in Mumbai while simultaneously igniting political debates about reservation policies and their implementation in Maharashtra's urban governance structure.
