The entire state's attention was on the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, which has finally got a new mayor. Since there was no opposing candidate in the mayor and deputy mayor elections, both were elected unopposed. Today, they took charge at the hands of Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani. As a result, the administrative rule that had been ongoing for the past few years has ended, and the 'Mayor Raj' has begun again in Mumbai.
In the Mumbai municipal elections, the BJP took the lead by winning the most seats. With a clear majority for the grand alliance, it was almost certain that the BJP candidate would become the mayor. Accordingly, the BJP announced the name of Ritu Tawde, while the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena nominated Sanjay Ghadi for the deputy mayor position. Due to insufficient numbers, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena did not field a candidate in the election. As a result, this election was conducted unopposed.
With this selection, Ritu Tawde has become the second mayor of Mumbai from the BJP. Previously, in 1982, Prabhakar Pai became the first mayor from the BJP. Tawde also holds the distinction of being the first female mayor from the BJP in Mumbai. She has served as a councilor in Ghatkopar and has also held the responsibility as the chairperson of the education committee.
Meanwhile, the Thackeray group's more than 24-year rule over the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has come to an end this time. After the change of power in the state, the equations in the corporation changed and finally the grand alliance seized power. This is considered to be the beginning of a new chapter in Mumbai's politics. However, some disputes have arisen over the mayoral election process. According to the new notification, the authority to elect the mayor was given to an officer of the rank of Principal Secretary. Therefore, Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani was the presiding officer. Previously, the outgoing mayor or senior corporator used to perform this role. Due to this rule change, the opposition has objected, and signs of a potential conflict between the ruling party and the opposition are visible.
In terms of Mumbai's development, the new mayor faces many challenges—solid decisions are expected on issues like infrastructure, traffic congestion, monsoon preparedness, healthcare system, and financial discipline. With the re-establishment of leadership by elected representatives after the administrator's rule, citizens' expectations have increased. Everyone is watching how effective the new leadership's working methods and decision-making will be for Mumbaikars in the coming times.