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Ritu Tawde Elected Unopposed as Mumbai Mayor, Ending Administrator Rule at BMC

The BJP–Shinde Sena alliance assumes control of India’s richest civic body after securing a clear majority in the January elections.

Overview

  • Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, empowered by a recent state notification, presided over the inaugural session as Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress objected and later staged walkouts.
  • Sanjay Ghadi of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena was declared deputy mayor without a contest, with an initial 15‑month tenure under the alliance’s rotational plan.
  • The Mahayuti bloc holds 118 of 227 seats — BJP 89 and Shinde Sena 29 — comfortably crossing the 114 majority mark.
  • Tawde becomes the eighth woman to hold the office and only the second BJP mayor since the post was instituted in 1931, breaking decades of Thackeray-era dominance.
  • The BMC, with a 2025–26 budget of roughly Rs 74,000 crore, now moves to constitute statutory and ward committees and appoint nominated corporators.