BJP candidate Ritu Tawde has filed her nomination for the mayoral post after the Mahayuti coalition’s impressive show in BMC polls. Tawde is a corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar and has been re-elected from this seat. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Sanjay Shankar Ghadi is the alliance’s nominee for deputy mayor. She has also filed her nomination.
The result will be declared on February 11 but the numbers suggest a comfortable win for both candidates. With this, the BJP will get its first mayor in over 40 years.
Ritu Tawde is known within the party for her effective communication with citizens and her ability to resolve local civic issues.
Despite belonging to the Maratha community, Ritu Tawde has managed to secure victory from a ward dominated by Gujarati voters. According to BJP leaders, she remains actively engaged at the grassroots level and is fully capable of addressing public grievances.
Ritu Tawde has been elected as a corporator from Ghatkopar for the third consecutive term. She has previously served as the Chairperson of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Education Committee and is currently working as the Vice President of the Maharashtra Pradesh Mahila Morcha.
Ritu Tawde joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2012 after leaving the Congress.
Mahayuti secures majority in BMC polls
Municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra, including the high-profile Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), were held on January 15, with results announced the following day. The outcome has given the ruling Mahayuti alliance a slim but clear edge in Mumbai’s civic body.
The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance emerged as the single largest combine in the 227-member BMC, winning 118 seats. This puts the alliance four seats above the majority mark. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), also part of the Mahayuti but contesting independently, secured three seats. If these are added, the Mahayuti’s total strength in the BMC rises to 121.
Among the opposition parties, the Shiv Sena won 65 seats, while the Congress finished with 24 seats. Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) managed to win six seats, and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) was limited to just one seat.
In terms of alliances, the Shiv Sena and the MNS had joined hands for the elections. On the other hand, both the Congress and the NCP (SP) chose to contest on their own.
ALSO READ: BMC mayoral elections 2026: BJP to announce mayor candidate tomorrow, say sources
