Mumbai to get general category woman mayor after lottery draw
What's the story
Mumbai is set to have a woman mayor from the general category after a lottery draw on Thursday. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be headed by a "General Woman" candidate, the Urban Development Department announced. The lottery system is used by the state government to decide the reservation categories of mayoral posts across municipal corporations in Maharashtra.
Reservation details
Mayoral posts in several cities reserved for women
The lottery draw has also reserved mayoral posts for women in Pune, Dhule, Nanded, Navi Mumbai, Malegaon, Mira-Bhayandar, Nashik, and Nagpur. Latur and Jalna are reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) women, while Thane is open to all SC candidates. Eight municipal corporations have been allotted to Other Backward Classes (OBC), with some reserved for OBC women and others open to all OBC candidates.
Political reaction
Shiv Sena faction objects to reservation of Mumbai's mayoral post
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has objected to the reservation of Mumbai's mayoral post. Senior leader Kishori Pednekar questioned why BMC wasn't considered under OBC, as the post remained unreserved in the last two terms. A state minister acknowledged the objection and said it would be looked into.
Election outcome
Recent BMC elections mark political shift in Mumbai
The recent BMC elections have changed the political landscape of Mumbai. The ruling Mahayuti alliance ended the Thackeray family's nearly 30-year control over the municipal body. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority with 89 seats, while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena secured 29 seats. This ensures that the next Mumbai mayor will not be from Uddhav Thackeray's camp.