Reservation draw puts Mumbai’s top civic post in the open women category as BJP-led Mahayuti prepares to name its candidate
(From left) Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, whose alliance, the Mahayuti, secured a simple majority in Mumbai’s civic election. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI
Mumbai’s next mayor will be elected from the open women category, following the reservation lottery conducted by the Maharashtra government’s Urban Development Department on Thursday morning.
As per UDD rules governing urban local bodies, the mayoral post in each municipal corporation is reserved on a rotational basis for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, open category and women.
The reservation is determined through a lottery system. The draw was conducted at 11 am on Thursday for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra where elections have recently concluded. Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal oversaw the lottery process.
BMC headquarters in Fort. Pic/ASHISH RAJE
With the reservation now finalised, political parties can officially name their mayoral candidate for Mumbai by submitting a letter of intent to the municipal secretary of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
The ruling Mahayuti alliance, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena, won 118 seats in the 227-member civic body last week, placing the alliance in a position to form the next mayoral leadership in Mumbai.
Row over the lottery process
>> Several political leaders attended the reservation draw, including BJP’s Rajesh Shirwadkar, Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, MLA Manoj Jamsutkar, and NCP leader Anand Paranjape
>> Following the announcement, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders alleged irregularities in the process. Pednekar claimed the lottery was conducted with a predetermined outcome to favour the majority party
>> She alleged that two consecutive terms have seen Mumbai’s mayoral post fall under the general category and argued that only Shiv Sena (UBT) has elected corporators from the Scheduled Tribe category
Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar
>> “The lottery was structured in a way that eliminated OBC and ST options. BMC was deliberately kept out of rotation to ensure the mayor’s seat remained in the general category,” Pednekar alleged
>> She also pointed out that during the reservation of Mumbai’s 227 electoral wards, two seats were reserved for Scheduled Tribe women, Ward 53 and Ward 121, both of which were won by Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates
>> Pednekar further alleged that a new rule requiring a minimum of three women corporators from a reserved category for that category to qualify for the mayoral lottery was not communicated to all political parties in advance
Among major cities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
>> Navi Mumbai was reserved for General Women
>> Panvel for OBC
>> Thane for Scheduled Caste
>> Ulhasnagar for OBC General
>> Kalyan-Dombivli for Scheduled Tribe
>> Vasai-Virar for the General category
Reservation outcome across MMR
Overall, 15 of the 29 municipal corporations in the state will have women mayors during the current term.
29
Of the mayoral reservations drawn:
1
No. of municipal corporations were reserved for Scheduled Tribe category
08
Reserved for the OBC category, including four for OBC women
03
Reserved for the Scheduled Caste category, of which two were for SC women
The remaining posts fell under the open category
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