Maharashtra's 29 municipal corporations will decide mayor position reservations today, Thursday, at 11 AM through a lottery system. The Urban Development Department, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will conduct the process. This will clarify which category will get the mayor's seat in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Thane.
Following recent municipal elections in Maharashtra, attention is focused on the mayor positions across 29 corporations, including Mumbai's BMC. The mayor elections will be held through voting by councilors, but reservations must be decided first. The state's Urban Development Department will begin the lottery process today at 11 AM, chaired by State Minister Madhuri Misal.
Reservations rotate among general category, Scheduled Caste, OBC, and women. For instance, in BMC, the previous mayor was from the general category, so it is excluded from this lottery. Similarly, the category of the last mayor in other corporations will be omitted. This will determine whether the mayor is male or female, and from which caste or category.
Once reservations are set, special meetings will be called to elect the mayor and deputy mayor, possibly on January 28. Mumbai has 227 elected councilors, and the party with the majority typically secures the position. In BMC, Shiv Sena (Uddhav)'s Kishori Pednekar was the last mayor, but this time Mahayuti (Shinde-BJP) may benefit. Experts believe BJP could secure its first mayor in Mumbai.
The mayor's term is 2.5 years, while councilors serve five years. This process will usher in new dynamics in Maharashtra's local politics.
