Mumbai, Pune To Get Woman Mayors From ‘General Category’ As Lottery Process Concludes

Mumbai: Mumbai is set to have a woman mayor from the general category after the state government’s lottery process reserved the top post in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a “General Woman” candidate, marking a significant political moment in the country’s richest civic body.

The draw, conducted on Thursday as part of Maharashtra’s statutory reservation exercise, determines the category of mayoral posts across municipal corporations in the state. With the process concluded, corporators eligible under the General Woman category can now file nominations for the BMC mayor’s post.

The development has sparked sharp political reactions, particularly from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, which had hoped the post would be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) or Other Backward Class (OBC) category. Leaders from the party protested the decision, arguing that the reservation does not reflect Mumbai’s social composition.

The outcome comes days after the ruling Mahayuti alliance wrested control of the BMC, ending the Thackeray family’s nearly three-decade dominance over the civic body, a political bastion that had been central to the Shiv Sena’s identity and influence since the mid-1990s.

Under Maharashtra’s rotation policy, a total of 17 municipal corporations have their mayoral posts reserved under the General Open category this year: nine women and eight men.

Cities where women will occupy the mayor’s chair include Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Mira-Bhayandar, Dhule and Nanded. Other corporations under the General Open category are Amravati, Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Vasai-Virar, Sangli, Solapur, Bhiwandi and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Process

With the category now notified, the next step will be the filing of nominations by eligible corporators. The mayor will be elected in a special meeting of the BMC, where the candidate who secures a simple majority of elected members will assume office.

The election of a woman mayor from the general category in Mumbai is being seen as symbolically significant, not only because of the civic body’s financial clout but also due to the broader political churn following the collapse of the Shiv Sena’s long-standing control over the BMC.

As the contest for the mayor’s chair intensifies, the reservation outcome is expected to further sharpen the political battle lines between the ruling alliance and the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT).

‘Wrong’: Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Condemns It

Following reservation lottery announcement for mayor post, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former mayor, Kishori Pednekar said," There are many areas where OBC community stays in Mumbai. No chit with names of their representatives was put in the lottery. This is wrong. We condemn it."

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