Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis' remarks come amid growing political debate over who should hold the city’s top civic post ahead of the BMC Election 2026
Maharashtra CM Fadnavis said the next Mumbai mayor will come from the ruling Mahayuti. File Pic
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the next Mumbai mayor will come from the ruling Mahayuti alliance and will be both Hindu and Marathi, reported the PTI.
Fadnavis' remarks come amid growing political debate over who should hold the city’s top civic post ahead of the BMC Election 2026.
Responding to a question, CM Fadnavis said, “The Mumbai mayor will be from the Mahayuti. The Mumbai mayor will be a Hindu and a Marathi person.”
The issue gained momentum after Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam said his party would not allow any 'Khan' to become Mumbai’s mayor. The statement drew strong criticism from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Raj Thackeray’s stand on Marathi mayor
After recently joining hands with Uddhav Thackeray, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that Mumbai’s mayor would be Marathi and would belong to their alliance. His statement added to the political sparring among parties contesting the civic elections.
By stressing that the mayor will be both Hindu and Marathi, CM Fadnavis has further sharpened the BJP-led alliance’s stance, intensifying the campaign battle as the BMC polls draw closer, sources said.
Remarks made during metro interaction
The Chief Minister made these comments while speaking to the ‘Mumbai Tak’ news channel during a special interaction titled ‘Mahachavadi’. He was travelling on Mumbai’s underground Metro line at the time and answered questions on various political issues.
Clarification on Kripashankar Singh’s comment
Addressing questions about former minister Kripashankar Singh, Fadnavis clarified that Singh’s reported remarks were not related to Mumbai. He said Singh is not an official party spokesperson.
Singh had earlier said efforts would be made to elect a north Indian, Hindi-speaking mayor in the Mira Bhayandar municipal corporation, which falls under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the BMC, will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for the following day.
Fadnavis hails BJP's local polls performance
Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis on Friday said the BJP has received an unprecedented mandate in the elections to municipal councils, winning 130 president posts and more than 3,000 councillor seats across the state.
Addressing party workers in Satara while felicitating newly elected presidents and councillors of municipal councils, he said that the BJP's tally was double that of all other recognised parties combined.
(with PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
