MUMBAI: Suspense continues over who will become Mumbai’s next mayor even as the BJP–Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena alliance has secured a clear majority in the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.While it is not mandatory for the single largest party to get the mayor’s post, past trends show that parties with a clear majority usually manage to claim it.
The BJP won 89 seats, the Shinde-led Sena 29, while Shiv Sena (UBT) emerged as the second single largest party with 65 seats. The last Mayor was Shiv Sena’s Kishori Pednekar, who has also won this election.The Shiv Sena (UBT) stanceAmid the suspense, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray struck a defiant note, taking a dig at deputy CM Eknath Shinde and alleging that his faction was afraid of the BJP. Addressing newly elected corporators at Matoshree, Uddhav said the BJP may claim that Shiv Sena was finished on paper but failed to finish it on the ground and “can’t buy loyalty despite employing all means.”Also read: Thackerays vs Eknath Shinde: UBT-MNS won 36 of 52 direct battles with Shiv SenaHe accused the BJP of winning the polls “by betrayal” and said, “BJP wants to mortgage Mumbai, it won the polls by betrayal and Marathi manoos won’t forgive this sin. It’s our dream to get Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor elected; god willing, it will happen.”Uddhav also warned that corporators who had defected once could do so again, claiming many of those elected from the Shinde faction were originally Sena (UBT) corporators and that BJP could engineer defections to bag the mayor’s post.First 2.5-year mayoral term as part of power-sharingOn Saturday, the Shinde-led Sena shifted its newly elected corporators to a luxury hotel in Mumbai, triggering fresh speculation. Party leaders said the move was meant to help corporators “refresh” after the elections and undergo orientation. Shinde felicitated his corporators, while corporator Amey Ghole said the deputy CM would brief them on the city’s development plan, manifesto implementation and a five-year roadmap.Also read: Mumbai mayor polls likely on January 28: Voting, reservation and selection process explained Sena functionaries said the party would demand the first 2.5-year mayoral term as part of power-sharing, arguing that BJP does not have enough seats to appoint a mayor on its own and must share the post. They also sought proportional sharing of key committee posts, including the standing committee chairmanship.‘There will not be any differences’Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed talk of poaching and said Mumbai would have a consensus “Mahayuti mayor”. “Eknath Shinde, I and other leaders from both parties will meet and together take a decision regarding who will be the Mumbai mayor and for how long. There will not be any differences. Everything will go smoothly. Together, we will efficiently run Mumbai,” he said. Reacting to Uddhav’s remark about “Dev” (God) helping Sena (UBT), Fadnavis quipped that he too is called “Deva” before adding that “God above has decided that there will be a Mahayuti Mayor.” Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, meanwhile, said the opposition has enough numbers to challenge the ruling alliance but would respect democracy. For now, despite the Mahayuti’s numerical strength, negotiations and political posturing ensure that the question of who will be Mumbai’s new mayor remains unresolved.A big charge by UBTShiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that even corporators from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena “do not want a BJP mayor in Mumbai.”He added that “many people are in touch with his party.”Speaking to reporters on Sunday, 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. He should immediately release the twenty-nine or twenty-five people he has held captive there.”When will the mayor election take place?Mayoral elections are likely to be held on January 28, 2026, civic sources said, after a special meeting is called, as decided by the municipal secretary and municipal commissioner. The Mayor will be elected through voting by corporators in the house. “Whoever gets the maximum number of votes is declared the Mayor and deputy Mayor,” said an official.
