Mumbai mayor suspense continues as Shinde finalises Sena corporators’ paperwork while Mahayuti awaits BMC reservation lottery. Photo: ANI.
Mumbai Mayor: Suspense over who will become the next mayor of the world’s richest civic body continues days after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a majority in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Despite the results being declared, the city is still waiting for clarity on the prized civic post.
However, according to the latest reports, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde is completing the paperwork of all newly elected 29 corporators of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. NDTV reported that the leader of the group of Sena corporators is likely to be named today after the paperwork is completed, to prevent defections.
Reports say that names like Yamini Jadhav, Trishna Vishwasrao, and Amey Ghole are being discussed for top roles in the BMC by Shiv Sena.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in the BMC with 89 seats. However, it falls short of the halfway mark of 114 to elect the Mumbai mayor. It will need the support of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, which has won 29 seats, to secure control of the House.
While the BJP has the highest number of corporators, it is not mandatory for the single largest party to get the mayor’s post. The uncertainty intensified amid speculation surrounding Shinde’s decision to move his party’s 29 corporators-designate to a hotel, triggering political chatter about negotiations within the Mahayuti alliance.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday attempted to put the rumours related to the Mumbai mayor to rest, asserting that Mumbai would have a Mahayuti mayor. He made the statement after interacting with newly elected Shiv Sena corporators who had been shifted to a hotel.
“Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor. Even neighbouring cities like Kalyan-Dombivli will have a Mahayuti mayor,” Shinde told reporters.
Rejecting claims that corporators were being kept under watch at a luxury hotel, Shinde said the party had nothing to fear.
The results of the BMC elections were declared on January 16, but the delay in finalising the Mumbai mayor is not solely due to political negotiations between the BJP and the Shinde Sena. The larger reason lies in the legal and procedural framework governing mayoral elections.
Unlike ward-level results, which are declared immediately after counting, Mumbai’s mayor is not elected directly by voters. Instead, corporators elect the mayor from among themselves through a separate process that begins only after the newly elected civic body is formally constituted.
Before political parties can even name candidates for the Mumbai mayor’s post, the reservation status of the position must be finalised. The mayor’s post in the BMC is subject to reservation by rotation, a system aimed at ensuring social representation.
Reservation by rotation means that the post of Mumbai mayor is reserved for different societal categories on a rotational basis. As noted in The Indian Express report, the reservation category determines whether the mayor’s post will be open or reserved for women, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBC).
In Mumbai, this reservation category is usually decided through a lottery system. Chits bearing the names of different categories are placed together, and one is drawn to determine the reservation for that term. Until this draw is conducted and officially notified, the mayoral election cannot take place.
The process begins with a formal notification issued by the Urban Development Department. Officials then prepare a rotation list based on reservations in previous terms. A public draw of lots is conducted, and once a chit is drawn, the reservation category is finalised and officially notified.
Only after this notification can the BMC convene a special meeting of corporators to elect the mayor from among members belonging to the reserved category, or from the open category, as decided by the lottery.
The Mumbai mayor is elected by a simple majority. In Mumbai’s 227-member House, this means the support of more than 114 corporators is required. According to the report, the last two mayors of Mumbai, as determined by the reservation lottery, were from the open general category.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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