The reservation for mayoral posts in Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations across Maharashtra was finalized on Wednesday through a lottery system conducted at the state secretariat (Mantralaya). As per the draw, the prestigious post of Mayor of Mumbai has been reserved for a woman from the General category, marking a significant moment in the state’s urban political landscape.
Along with Mumbai, several major cities including Navi Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad will also have women mayors from the General category. The lottery was conducted to ensure transparency and adherence to the rotation-based reservation policy mandated under state laws.
Reservation Highlights Across Major Cities
According to the official announcement:
- Mumbai – General (Woman)
- Navi Mumbai – General (Woman)
- Pune – General (Woman)
- Pimpri-Chinchwad – General (Woman)
- Thane – Scheduled Caste (SC)
- Kalyan-Dombivli – Scheduled Tribe (ST)
- Kolhapur – OBC
- Nagpur, Nashik, Solapur, Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Vasai-Virar – General category
In total, among the 29 municipal corporations:
- 17 mayoral posts are reserved for the General category
- 8 for OBC
- 3 for Scheduled Castes (SC)
- 1 for Scheduled Tribes (ST)
Additionally, 50% of the posts in each category are reserved for women, decided through a separate draw.
Political Reactions and Controversy
The lottery process triggered sharp political reactions, particularly from the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), which boycotted the draw. Former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar alleged that the reservation was manipulated to benefit the ruling parties and claimed injustice toward SC, ST and OBC communities.
Despite the objections, the state government maintained that the process was conducted strictly according to rules and in a transparent manner, with children drawing lots to eliminate any scope of bias.
Mayor Election Process Explained
In Maharashtra, mayors are elected by elected corporators in a special general body meeting. A candidate must secure more than half of the total votes to be elected. In cases where no single party has a clear majority, alliances and support from independents play a decisive role.
BJP’s Strong Performance in Civic Polls
The reservation announcement comes in the backdrop of the 2026 municipal elections, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party across the state. BJP won 1,425 of the 2,869 seats across 29 municipal corporations.
In Mumbai’s 227-member civic body, BJP secured 89 seats, ending decades-long dominance of the ठाकरे-led Shiv Sena. Similar dominance was seen in Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, consolidating BJP’s position ahead of mayoral elections.
A Step Towards Greater Women Representation
With Mumbai and several other major cities set to have women mayors, the latest reservation draw is being seen as a major push toward women’s leadership in urban governance. Political observers believe this could reshape local politics and governance priorities in Maharashtra’s biggest cities.
The mayoral elections will be held in the coming weeks, once the newly elected corporators convene their respective general body meetings.
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