With the power dynamics clear in the richest municipal corporation in the country, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), administrative and legislative work has started gaining momentum. After the recent Mumbai mayoral election, all eyes are now on the appointments of chairpersons for major committees like the standing committee, improvement committee, and education committee.
The BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), which dominate the grand alliance, have secured a clear majority in the BMC elections. After BJP's Ritu Tawde was elected as mayor unopposed, the ruling party is planning to appoint its loyal corporators to key committees. The announcement of the members and chairpersons of these committees is likely to be made in special meetings to be held in the coming days.
The appointments of these committees are of special importance for the 2026 budget. The role of the standing committee chairpersons is crucial for the allocation of the massive budget of over 74,000 crore rupees and the approval of new projects. After four years of administrative rule, it is expected that elected representatives will bring transparency to major projects like the Coastal Road, road concretization, and slum redevelopment.
Although the opposition parties, namely Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress, have stayed away from the mayoral position, they have focused on gaining representation in statutory committees. Seats will be allocated based on the number of councilors. While the ruling alliance is likely to keep the chairperson positions to themselves, the opposition will exert pressure during budget discussions.
According to the information provided by the BMC administration, members of the statutory committees will be finalized by February 16, and the election of the chairpersons will take place on February 20. As February is economically significant, these appointments will accelerate the projects.