One Mayor, Two Vote Banks: BJP’s Ritu Tawde Formula for Mumbai

For the first time since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has moved decisively to claim the mayor’s chair. On Saturday, the BJP formally announced Ritu Tawde, a corporator elected from Ward No. 132, as its candidate for the post of Mumbai Mayor.

With the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance comfortably crossing the majority mark of 114 seats in the civic body, Tawde’s election is widely seen as a mere formality. The mayor’s post this term has been reserved for the general women category, triggering intense speculation over who would eventually take charge of India’s richest municipal corporation. Names such as Tejasvi Ghosalkar and Sheetal Gambhir were in the fray, but Tawde emerged as the final choice.

Ward No. 132, from where Ritu Tawde has been elected, is considered a BJP stronghold due to its sizeable Gujarati and Jain population. The area includes parts of Vidyavihar East, Garodia Nagar, Somaiya College premises and Rajawadi Hospital. Despite being from the Maratha community, Tawde has consistently won from this Gujarati-dominated constituency, underlining her political acceptability across communities.

The selection of Tawde carries political significance on multiple fronts. First elected as a corporator in 2017 from Ghatkopar’s Ward No. 121, Tawde secured her second consecutive victory this year from Ward No. 132. During her tenure, she served as chairperson of the BMC’s Education Committee and has also held key organisational roles as vice-president of the BJP Mahila Morcha and district president of the North-East Mumbai women’s wing.

Political observers believe the BJP has attempted a careful balancing act through this choice. While projecting a Marathi face for the mayor’s post, the party has also reassured its core Gujarati-Jain voter base by elevating a leader nurtured within its traditional bastion. The move is being described as a classic case of “killing two birds with one stone”.

Ahead of the civic elections, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction had repeatedly cornered the BJP over the issue of a “Marathi mayor” for Mumbai. The BJP’s earlier assertion that its mayor would be “Hindu” had drawn criticism, with concerns that it could alienate Marathi voters. By finalising Ritu Tawde’s name, the party appears to have neutralised that controversy.

Meanwhile, following the directions of Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena has announced Sanjay Shankar Gadi as the official Mahayuti candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The deputy mayor’s tenure will be for one and a quarter years. Party representatives, office-bearers and corporators have been instructed to take note of the decision and ensure compliance.