BJP to announce Mumbai Mayor candidate on Feb 7. Here are top contenders
India Today
As the mayor's post is reserved for a woman from the general category, the party is focusing on experienced female leaders for the position of Mumbai's 78th Mayor.
The race for the post of Mumbai’s Mayor has entered its final phase after the recent Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, with the BJP expected to officially announce its candidate on February 7 ahead of the mayoral election scheduled for February 11.
A meeting of BJP corporators has been convened at 9 am at the BMC headquarters, where Mumbai BJP President Ameet Satam is likely to declare the party’s nominee. As the mayor’s post is reserved for a woman from the general category, the party is focusing on experienced female leaders for the position of Mumbai’s 78th Mayor.
Among the frontrunners are Sheetal Gambhir Desai, head of the BJP’s Mumbai women’s wing and a prominent leader who secured a strong win from the Mahim-Dadar belt; Ritu Tawde, a three-time corporator from Ghatkopar and former Chairperson of the Education Committee; Rajshree Shirwadkar, a three-time corporator from Sion with extensive experience in BMC administration; and Sakshi Dalvi, a second-term corporator considered a strong dark horse in the selection process.
The political arithmetic in the 227-member BMC house currently favours the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which has crossed the majority mark of 114 seats. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, and together with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s 29 seats, the alliance stands at 118. Support from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, has further strengthened the government’s position to around 122 corporators.
Despite lacking the numbers, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is expected to field its own candidate and file a nomination on Friday. With 65 seats, the Thackeray faction is the second-largest party and is aiming to consolidate votes of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), including the Congress and smaller parties, projecting a combined strength of around 106 to 108 corporators.
While victory remains challenging, the move is seen as a strategic effort to maintain political pressure and signal a continuing contest for control of the civic body.
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