3 minutes of readingBombayJanuary 30, 2026 21:43 IST
WITH THE BJP asserting its claim on the Post of Mayor of Mumbai in Brihanmumbai Municipal CorporationThe party has begun drawing up a shortlist of potential candidates to lead the country’s richest civic body.
As per the reservation draw, the next BMC mayor will be a woman from the general category. BJP leaders said several corporators with experience and public reach were being considered, with Sheetal Gambhir Desai and Ritu Tawde being the main contenders.
At a rally at Shivaji Park, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had named Sheetal Gambhir Desai as someone capable of taking on Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray in debates on civic issues. Sheetal, daughter of former Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Gambhir, won from ward 190 in Mahim Dadar, a Shiv Sena UBT stronghold with a large Marathi population. She leads the BJP Bombay women’s wing and is seen within the party as an articulate leader with knowledge of the city’s problems.
Party colleagues describe her as a well-connected person committed to public causes. She has said: “To retain the trust of the people, we must not fail in our duty.”
Another name under discussion is Ritu Tawde, a second-term corporator from ward 132 in Ghatkopar. BJP leaders said she is known within the Mumbai unit for her ability to handle both civic issues and public interactions. Despite belonging to the Maratha community, she won in a district dominated by Gujarati voters and is seen as approachable and active locally.
Senior BJP leaders said selection would not be based solely on seniority, as in the past, but on broader criteria, including the ability to broaden the party’s reach and respond quickly to civic crises.
“The mayoral candidate should have the ability to rush to the spot whenever a situation demands addressing issues raised by the public. Be it floods during monsoons or building collapses, the mayor should be on the spot and ensure all necessary help from the civic administration,” a party leader said.
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While the BMC results were announced on January 16, the process of party registration and appointment of group leaders was delayed. Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam said the process would begin soon. It was suspended following the death of NCP president and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, and registration is now expected to take place next week, after the three-day mourning period ends.
The formal mayoral election process is expected to begin once party registration is completed and the civic council is constituted.