Ritu Tawde Elected Mumbai Mayor, Sanjay Ghadi Deputy Mayor
Ritu Tawde Elected Mumbai Mayor, Sanjay Ghadi Deputy Mayor
Ritu Tawde of BJP becomes Mumbai's 78th mayor with Sanjay Ghadi as deputy, elected unopposed at a special BMC meeting, ending a 44-year BJP gap.
In a decisive, unopposed move at a special Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) general body meeting, Ritu Tawde was elected Mumbai’s 78th mayor, and Sanjay Ghadi of Shiv Sena was chosen as deputy mayor. The election followed the completion of proceedings at the BMC headquarters, with Tawde taking charge amid slogans from both ruling and opposition corporators. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, were present to congratulate the newly elected leaders.
Tawde is a BJP corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar and has previously served as chairperson of the BMC’s education committee. Ghadi, elected from Ward 5, represents the Shiv Sena. The election was conducted by BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani in his capacity as the state-appointed presiding officer, marking the first time in 44 years that the mayor’s post has gone to a BJP leader in Mumbai, the country’s richest civic body.
Ahead of the voting, BJP and Shiv Sena supporters gathered at Hutatma Chowk to pay floral tributes before marching to the BMC headquarters. In the January 15 civic elections, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, while Shiv Sena won 29 seats. The ruling alliance, with a combined 118 corporators, was well past the halfway mark of 114, positioning Tawde for the historic elevation. Shiv Sena (UBT), along with its allies, gathered 65 seats, signaling a shifting but still complex political landscape in the city’s administration.
With Tawde taking the helm, Mumbai sees a new chapter in its municipal governance, ending a long period of transition since the previous administration and setting the stage for a BJP-led leadership in the country’s wealthiest civic body.
