The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced Ritu Tawde as the Mahayuti alliance’s candidate for the post of Mumbai mayor, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena named Sanjay Shankar Ghadi as its nominee for deputy mayor. Both leaders have filed their nominations for the respective posts.
The election for the Mumbai BMC mayor is scheduled for February 11, with voting set to take place between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. The results will be declared later the same day, after the counting process concludes at the BMC headquarters.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation poll result
Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and 28 other local bodies in Maharashtra were held on January 15. In Mumbai, the BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 29 seats, enabling the alliance to reach the 144-seat majority required to govern the civic body. The elections also marked the election of women mayors from the general category in several cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Dhule, Nanded-Waghala and Navi Mumbai.
Who is Ritu Tawde? Mahayuti’s Mumbai mayoral candidate
Ritu Tawde is a corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar and has been elected for a third consecutive term. Despite belonging to the Maratha community, she has maintained a strong hold over a ward with a predominantly Gujarati voter base. She has previously served as chairperson of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Education Committee and is currently vice president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Mahila Morcha. Tawde joined the BJP in 2012 after leaving the Congress.
Who is Sanjay Shankar Ghadi? Shiv Sena’s deputy mayor nominee
Sanjay Shankar Ghadi is a corporator from Ward 5, elected in the January 2026 BMC elections. A former leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), he later joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction and has been nominated for the deputy mayor’s post on Shinde’s recommendation.
Ghadi will hold the deputy mayor position for 15 months, as the Shiv Sena plans to rotate the deputy mayor’s role among four of its corporators during the current term.
