BJP picks Ritu Tawde for Mayor, Shiv Sena fields Sanjay Ghadi as Deputy Mayor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday nominated corporator Ritu Tawade as its candidate for the Mumbai Mayor election, while ally Shiv Sena named Sanjay Ghadi as its nominee for the Deputy Mayor’s post.

The announcements were made at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters, with BJP leader Amit Satam declaring Tawade’s name and Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale confirming Ghadi’s candidature.

Who is Ritu Tawade?

Ritu Tawade is a BJP corporator from Ward 132 and is now the party’s official face for the Mumbai Mayor’s post. With the BJP emerging as the single largest party in the civic polls, Tawade is widely seen as the frontrunner for the top position in India’s richest municipal body.

Who is Sanjay Ghadi?

Sanjay Ghadi, elected from Ward 5, is a senior corporator who earlier belonged to Shiv Sena (UBT) before joining the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. According to Shiv Sena secretary Sanjay More, Ghadi will serve as Deputy Mayor for 15 months, as the party plans to rotate the post among four corporators.

In the polls to the 227-member Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats, while Shiv Sena won 29 seats. The ruling alliance, with a combined strength of 118 corporators, is past the halfway mark of 114 and is well placed to secure the mayor's post.

The Shiv Sena (UBT), which controlled the civic body for 25 years won 65 seats, while Congress bagged 24, AIMIM 8, MNS 6, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) 3, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) 1. Two independents were also elected.

Why this election matters

The BMC has been without an elected body since March 2022, when the commissioner took charge as administrator after the previous term ended. With a massive budget of Rs 74,450 crore for 2025–26, the BMC is India’s richest civic body, making the Mumbai Mayor election one of the most closely watched political contests in the country.