BJP picks Ritu Tawde as mayor, Sanjay Ghadi as deputy mayor

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday announced corporator Ritu Tawde as the Mahayuti alliance’s candidate for the Mumbai mayor’s post, party president Ameet Satam said. Tawde is expected to file her nomination shortly, as per reports.

The Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), a key constituent of the Mahayuti alliance, has named corporator Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for the post of deputy mayor. The alliance recently secured a decisive mandate in the municipal elections.

With these announcements, Mumbai is set to get an elected mayor after a gap of nearly four years. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has confirmed that elections for the mayor and deputy mayor will be held on February 11 after 11.30 pm at the civic body’s headquarters.

The BMC has been functioning without an elected council since 2022, following the completion of the previous council’s term. During this period, the civic body has been administered by the Municipal Commissioner.

Officials said the mayoral election process will be conducted under the supervision of BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.

Tawde, a senior BJP leader in the civic body, is considered a strong contender for the mayor’s post, given her extensive experience in municipal governance. She was first elected as a corporator from Ward No. 127 in 2012, later represented Ward No. 121 in Ghatkopar in 2017, and won from Ward No. 132 in the 2025 elections.

She has also previously served as Chairperson of the Education Committee of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.