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Women to Lead 15 of 29 Maharashtra Civic Bodies as Mayor Lottery Declared

The reservation lottery for mayoral posts across Maharashtra's 29 municipal corporations has been announced, resulting in women being slated to lead 15 of these civic bodies. The draw has major implications for political strategy, particularly in key regions like Mumbai and Pune, which are reserved for the Open-Women category. While the BJP is the single largest party statewide, it must navigate complex alliances and internal coalition friction to secure power in many corporations. The results have created specific challenges, such as in Kalyan-Dombivli where an ST reservation leaves few established candidates.

Key Points: Women Mayors for 15 Maharashtra Corporations After Reservation Draw

  • Women to lead 15 corporations
  • BJP is largest party but needs allies
  • BMC and Pune reserved for Open-Women category
  • Internal friction within ruling Mahayuti alliance
3 min read

Women to lead 15 out of 29 Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra

Maharashtra's mayor reservation lottery results show women will lead 15 out of 29 municipal corporations, reshaping political strategies across the state.

"The reservation lottery...has significantly shifted the strategies of major political parties - Report"

Mumbai, Jan 22

The reservation lottery for the mayoral posts of 29 Municipal Corporations across Maharashtra was officially announced on Thursday in the presence of state Urban Development Minister Madhuri Misal.

A woman corporator from the open category is set to become the Mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party across the state, the path to power remains complex.

In several corporations, the BJP is navigating the necessity of support from allies or local independent factions. Simultaneously, the ruling Mahayuti alliance faced internal friction at the local level, with state leadership granting local units the autonomy to contest against alliance partners where consensus failed.

Against this backdrop of intense political manoeuvring, the state government officially announced the reservation lottery for the prestigious Mayoral posts.

The municipal corporation wise categories for mayor Brihanmumbai (BMC) General - Women, Thane Scheduled Caste (SC), Kalyan-Dombivli Scheduled Tribe (ST) - Male, Navi Mumbai General - Women, Vasai-Virar General - Women / Men, Bhiwandi-Nizampur General - Women / Men, Mira-Bhayandar General - Women, Ulhasnagar OBC - Women or Men, Pune General - Women, Pimpri-Chinchwad General - Women / Men, Nagpur General - Women, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar) OBC - Women, Nashik General - Women, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar General - Women or Men, Akola OBC - Women, Amravati General - Women or Men, Latur Scheduled Caste (SC) - Women, Nanded-Waghala General - Women, Chandrapur OBC - Women, Dhule General - Women, Jalgaon OBC - Women, Malegaon General - Women, Kolhapur OBC - Women or Men, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad General, Solapur General - Women / MeN, Ichalkaranji OBC - Women or Men, Jalna Scheduled Caste (SC) - Women, Panvel OBC - Women or Men and Parbhani General - Women / Men.

The reservation draw, conducted by the Urban Development Department, has distributed the 29 Mayoral seats as follows: Scheduled Tribes (ST) one, Scheduled Castes (SC) three, Other Backward Classes (OBC) eight and General (Open) Category 17. The lottery has significantly shifted the strategies of major political parties, especially in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and Western Maharashtra.

The reservation of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Pune Municipal Corporation for the Open (Women) category has set the stage for a fierce competition among prominent female corporators.

In Mumbai, where the BJP has broken the long-standing dominance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the party must now find a candidate who can helm India's richest civic body. Meanwhile, in Kalyan-Dombivli, the ST reservation has created a unique challenge for the major alliances, as few prominent faces currently fit the criteria, potentially leading to the rise of new leadership or tactical cross-party support.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
While the representation is good, the real test is governance. BMC is a massive responsibility. Hope the new mayor, whoever she is, focuses on Mumbai's crumbling infrastructure and monsoon preparedness instead of political games.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see the complex political math here. The lottery system for reservations seems a bit arbitrary, but it does shake up the established order. The alliances and independents will be crucial in many corporations.
A
Aditya G
The focus should be on capable leadership, regardless of gender or category. In Kalyan-Dombivli, the ST reservation is a great opportunity to bring forward new, young leaders who understand local issues. Hope parties don't just put up token candidates.
M
Meera T
As a woman from Pune, I'm thrilled our mayor will be a woman again! But let's be honest, the last term had many promises unfulfilled. This time, we need action on waste management, public transport, and cleaner rivers. No more excuses!
K
Karthik V
The article shows how messy our municipal politics is. So much energy spent on the 'lottery' and posturing. I wish half that energy went into solving basic problems like water supply and potholes. The common citizen just wants a functional city.
N
Nisha Z

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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