BJP unlikely to share Mumbai mayor’s post with Shinde-led Shiv Sena: Sanjay Raut

Speaking to reporters, Sanjay Raut said that even if the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was unhappy over not getting the post, it had no options. He added that the Shinde-led Sena would be given a few other positions in the civic body after taking up the matter with the BJP’s central leadership.

“They (the BJP) will have their mayor in Mumbai,” the Rajya Sabha MP said, reported PTI. 

Leaders of the Shinde-led party have maintained that the mayor should be from the Shiv Sena, as 2026 marks the birth centenary of Bal Thackeray, founder of the undivided Shiv Sena.

In the high-stake BMC Election 2026 held on January 15, the BJP won 89 seats, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) secured 65, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena got 29, Congress won 24 seats, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena secured six seats, among others. No single party secured a majority in the 227-member civic body.

Mumbai mayor’s bungalow to be renovated after lying shut for four years

After remaining shut and unused for nearly four years, the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow, located inside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo at Byculla, is set to undergo renovation and restoration ahead of the appointment of the city’s next mayor. The bungalow has remained vacant since 2022. Civic officials said renovation work is now being taken up on priority to ensure the residence is ready for occupation.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was unable to float tenders earlier due to the model code of conduct, which came into force after the civic elections were announced on December 15, 2025. As a result, while the renovation work has now commenced, the final costing of the project will be done post facto.

What will the renovation include?
>> The restoration work is scheduled to be completed within 60 days and will include:
>> General cleaning of the premises as well as the replacement and upgrading of upholstery
>> Repair, polishing and restoration of heritage furniture
>> Replacement of damaged seating
>> Waterproofing, wherever required
>> Painting of the bungalow

When was bungalow last used?
>> Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) last used the Byculla bungalow as her official residence during her tenure until 2017.
>> The property was vacated after the completion of the BMC general body’s term for 2017 to 2022, following the end of the mayoral tenure in March 2022.
>> Prior to this, the Mumbai mayor’s official residence was located opposite Shivaji Park, overlooking the sea at Dadar beach. That bungalow was vacated in 2018 by Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, who served as mayor between March 2017 and November 2019.
>> The memorial of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray now stands on the site of the former mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park.

(With PTI inputs)