4 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: February 7, 2026 02:05 pm IST
The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra on Saturday formally announced its candidates for the posts of mayor and vice-mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with the BJP fielding senior corporator Ritu Tawde as mayor and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena nominating Sanjay Shankar Ghadi as vice-mayor.
The decision was made at a meeting of alliance leaders earlier in the week.
Bombay BJP president Amit Satam announced Tawde’s name, while former MP Rahul Shewale declared Ghadi as the official candidate of the Shiv Sena. Subsequently, the two parties submitted their nominations jointly.
In an official communication issued by the Shiv Sena, the party stated: “As per the instructions of the Shiv Sena chief and deputy chief minister Eknath ShindeShri Sanjay Shankar Ghadi is declared the authorized candidate of the Shiv Sena-BJP Mahayuti for the post of Deputy Mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The term of office of the deputy mayor will be one and a quarter years.”
Under the new power-sharing formula introduced by Shinde, the post of deputy mayor will rotate every 15 months. This effectively means that Mumbai will have four deputy mayors during the five-year civic term, a structured internal arrangement aimed at balancing representation within the alliance.
With the Mahayutis having a clear majority in the BMC, the elections scheduled for February 11 are expected to be a formality unless there is a significant change in the numbers.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has held meetings in Matoshree and is likely to field a candidate, but the ruling group currently enjoys a comfortable position.
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Ritu Tawde: a ‘Marathi face’ of Ghatkopar
Ritua Tawde’s rise carries a strong political message. A two-term corporator of Ghatkopar ward 132, she is seen as an aggressive “Marathi face” of the BJP in a largely Gujarati-speaking belt, a social balancing act that party leaders privately say is deliberate.
His name had been in discussion along with Shital Gambhir, but the leadership was eventually settled on Tawde, who was widely considered a strong contender.
She began her municipal career with a victory in Ward 127 in 2012, followed by a victory in Ward 121 in 2017. In the 2025 civic elections, she was elected from Ward 132. Tawde also served as chairperson of the BMC Education Committee and has been an active voice in civic deliberation.
Sanjay Ghadi: a Sena veteran
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At 57, Sanjay Ghadi represents the organizational old guard of the Shiv Sena. A BCom graduate, he studied in a BMC school up to Class 7, completed his schooling from Chhabildas High School in Dadar and graduated from Siddharth College of Commerce and Economics in Fort.
His political journey began in 1988-89 as divisional chief of the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the undivided student wing of the Shiv Sena. In 1990-91, he served as president of the Mumbai University Students’ Council and as a member of the Senate.
Over the years, he held various organizational responsibilities, including the post of state general secretary in Maharashtra Navnirman Sena before returning to Shiv Sena. He later became deputy leader of Shiv Sena and is currently the party’s Raigad district contact chief.
He was elected corporate in 2017, served until 2022 and was re-elected in 2026. Within the party, he is considered a loyal and disciplined organizational leader.
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His wife, Sanjana Ghadi, is the deputy leader and spokesperson of the Shiv Sena. His son, Suyash Ghadi, is associated with Yuva Sena as convenor of the legislative assembly.
