BMC Mayor Race Heats Up as Reservation Lottery Date Announced Amid Political Maneuvering
Amid intense speculation over who will claim the powerful mayor’s post in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the Urban Development Department has officially announced the date for the reservation lottery for Mumbai’s top civic office. Adding to the political buzz are reports suggesting that Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), or UBT faction, may extend support to Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP.
The reservation lottery for mayoral posts across Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations will be held on Thursday, January 22. The process is scheduled to begin at 11 am in the council hall at Mantralaya. Only after the reservation category is declared will political parties be able to formally decide and project their candidates for the mayor’s post.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had earlier stated that the decision on the BMC mayor would be taken collectively by alliance partners, departed for Davos on Sunday to attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. He is expected to return to India on January 24, after which greater clarity is likely to emerge on the mayoral selection.
Until now, the BMC mayor’s post has been reserved on a rotational basis for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), women, and Other Backward Classes (OBC). However, according to sources cited by News18 Marathi, changes to the rules may allow the reservation cycle to restart, potentially altering political calculations for all major parties.
Behind-the-Scenes Political Moves
Fueling the political churn further, Eknath Shinde has housed his party’s corporators at a five-star hotel in Bandra. While the party has officially described the move as an orientation and interaction programme for newly elected corporators, political observers view it as a strategic effort to prevent defections and reinforce internal cohesion at a time when bargaining over the mayor’s post has reached a critical stage.
Shinde clarified that the stay was meant to provide corporators with a common platform, particularly as the group of 29 members is undergoing formal registration with the Konkan Divisional Commissioner.
War of Words Intensifies
The contest for the mayor’s office has also triggered sharp political exchanges. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that several corporators from the Shinde camp were opposed to having a BJP mayor in Mumbai. He challenged the Deputy Chief Minister to ensure that the next mayor comes from the Shiv Sena, asserting the party’s historical dominance in the city.
Raut pointed out that Shiv Sena has produced 23 mayors in Mumbai so far and alleged that even Shinde would not support a BJP mayor in the country’s financial capital. Responding with a touch of sarcasm, Fadnavis remarked that the phrase “God’s will” can have many interpretations, joking that he was unsure whether Raut was referring to a higher power or to him personally, given that he is often called “Devbhau.”
As the reservation lottery approaches, the high-stakes battle for control of Mumbai’s civic body continues to intensify, with alliances, arithmetic, and political optics all in play.