BMC Mayor Will Be From Team Fadnavis Or Shinde? BJP-Sena Mahayuti’s Plans For Mumbai

BMC Mayor Will Be From Team Fadnavis Or Shinde? BJP-Sena Mahayuti’s Plans For Mumbai

Days after the Mahayuti secured a majority in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, speculations have begun over who will get the Mumbai mayoral post.

The Mahayuti is the alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which won 89 seats, and Shiv Sena (Shinde), which won 29 seats. Even though the BJP has the highest number of seats, it will need Shinde Sena's support to reach the halfway mark of 114, which has given rise to the speculation over the mayor's post.

Adding fuel to the fire is Shinde's resort politics. Maharashtra deputy CM Eknath Shinde has moved his newly elected corporators to a hotel.

According to the Indian Express, Shinde Sena has sought a “clear and respectable share of power in the civic body". The Sena has put two options on the table — mayor's post for half of the five-year term, or control of the standing committee, which controls the BMC's finances and key approvals.

In Maharashtra, 29 municipal corporations underwent elections on January 15, with counting of votes on January 16. The Mahayuti managed to sweep most of the civic bodies, including the ones in Mumbai, triumphing over the Thackeray brothers; Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, beating the NCP factions despite them coming together to contest elections; Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali and Ulhasnagar. Congress recorded a victory in Latur, claiming 43 seats, while the Sena-UBT and Congress alliance won Parbhani.

ALSO READ | BMC Election Winners: Full List Of Mumbai's 227 Corporators From BJP, Shinde Sena, UBT, MNS

The mayor of Mumbai is elected through an indirect election process by the newly elected members (corporators) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The election following the January 15, 2026, civic polls could be held on January 28, 2026.

Before nominations begin, the Urban Development Department conducts a lottery to determine if the post will be reserved for specific categories (e.g., General, Women, Scheduled Castes, or OBC). Only corporators belonging to the category decided in the lottery can file their nominations for the post. The municipal administration convenes a special meeting of the 227 elected corporators to conduct the vote.

In Mumbai, voting traditionally occurs by a “show of hands" in the BMC House. A candidate must secure a simple majority (at least 114 votes) to be elected. For the first time in 2026, 10 nominated corporators (increased from five in 2023) will also participate in the House, potentially influencing the outcome.

The mayor is elected for a term of 2.5 years. The mayor is the ceremonial head and “First Citizen" of Mumbai, but executive powers rest with the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said the BJP's 45 per cent vote share in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections reflected a decisive mandate, and its tally was higher than that of Shiv Sena (UBT) despite contesting fewer seats.

“We have realised our strength, and the people of Mumbai have supported our development agenda…in several constituencies, we lost by very thin margins. We could have crossed the 100-seat mark otherwise," he said, adding, “We have won in slums, high-rise buildings, Koliwadas (fisherfolk colonies) and chawls (tenements). People from different linguistic backgrounds have supported us. This is a victory of Team Mumbai."

His government wants to make Mumbai a world-class, clean and livable city, ensure transparent and people-centric civic administration, complete ongoing projects within the next two to three years and launch new initiatives after the mayor is announced, Fadnavis said. PTI ND KRK

Addressing the BJP workers at the party office in Mumbai, Fadnavis said, “The BJP and Mahayuti are going to form their 25 mayors after these elections."

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Sunday, after his meeting with corporators, Shinde said that the electors rejected “anti-development" while voting for the Yuti. “Behind the BJP, Shiv Sena is the second largest party in a short time. We are taking forward Balasaheb Thackeray's views. People of Mumbai have embraced development and rejected anti-development. The people of Mumbai have shown their trust," he added.

When asked about the mayoral post, Shinde said, “In Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali and other places, the mayor will be of Mahayuti."

After the elections, Uddhav Thackeray said that his party could still secure the Mumbai mayor's post “if God is willing".

Calling it his dream to see a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai, Uddhav Thackeray said that his party had not been politically wiped out. “The BJP could not finish Shiv Sena (UBT) on the ground," he claimed, alleging that the ruling party “could not buy loyalty."

Targeting the BJP and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray accused them of betraying Mumbai. “They have registered victory through betrayal by mortgaging Mumbai. The Marathi Manoos will never forgive this sin," he said, adding that the political battle was far from over.

At a subsequent press conference, Thackeray alleged misuse of state machinery during the polls and claimed the BJP's strength existed only “on paper, not on the streets." He also raised concerns over polling-day irregularities, alleging that indelible ink could be wiped off and that opposition candidates were either pressured or tempted.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya said that the Opposition should accept the outcome and come to terms with what he described as a new political reality in Maharashtra. Speaking to ANI, Somaiya said, “The Opposition should now accept the political reality that they have lost. Their party is finished in Maharashtra," he said.

Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal said that the BJP and its ally will work together to run local bodies and take the BMC forward. Speaking to ANI in Patna, Jaiswal said, “Mahayuti and BJP contested the elections together there. The people have also given a majority to both parties in the alliance. Therefore, there, everyone will come together to run the local bodies and to take BMC forward."

Shiv Sena leader and minister Uday Samant said the civic body polls were contested as the Mahayuti alliance. “Every party wants the main post, and Bal Thackeray's (birth) centenary year gives that demand a different dimension," he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded the “release" of Mumbai corporators confined to what he called the “Taj Hotel Jail". Raut said Shinde, despite holding the powerful position of a Deputy Chief Minister, was apprehensive that his corporators would switch sides, terming the whole situation as “ridiculous."

“They have kept their corporators confined. They broke away the MLAs, so now they have to keep the corporators confined as well. They had taken the MLAs to Surat. Eknath Shinde himself is the Deputy Chief Minister, yet he is afraid that his corporators will run away, what a ridiculous situation this is…" Raut said.

“The corporators who have come from this alliance (BJP-Shiv Sena)… out of fears that someone will kidnap them, threaten them, or harm them, they have been kept captive in the Taj Hotel. Eknath Shinde has turned the Taj Hotel into a Jail," the Sena-UBT leader added.

“Many new corporators are originally Shiv Sainiks (of undivided Shiv Sena). Our understanding is everyone wants that a BJP mayor not be elected," Raut said adding even Shinde does not want a BJP mayor in Mumbai.

While the Shiv Sena (UBT), contesting in alliance with the MNS, won 65 seats, having a larger mandate than the Shinde faction, Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the people of Mumbai have “shown him the mirror" and that the verdict made it clear which faction represents the “real Shiv Sena."

ALSO READ | Thackerays Lose Mumbai, Pawar Failure In Pune: What Went Wrong? What Next After Maha Loss?

Congress MP Imran Masood said, “Eknath Shinde now has to fight to save his political existence, whether his political being will remain or not. The BJP works to defeat all its allied parties… Now he should give up his attachment to power and save his existence."

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As the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has recorded its most impressive performance yet in Maharashtra's municipal corporation elections, winning 125 corporator seats and significantly expanding its presence across the state's urban centres, party spokesperson Waris Pathan termed it the “result of collective teamwork".

Pathan, taking a jibe at Shiv Sena (UBT), said, “The public's mandate is a befitting answer to them. They should look within themselves for why they are losing. They were in power for 30 years, consumed public money, but what did they do for the public of Mumbai? The public will now be with the one who works for their development."

Source: News18
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