Upcoming BMC Mayor Elections: BJP Poised for Victory

BMC Mayor Elections Scheduled for January 30

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to hold mayoral elections on January 30. Following this election, it is anticipated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will secure a new mayor. Sources indicate that the BJP is unlikely to offer the mayoral position to the Shinde faction. The BMC commissioner will officially announce the election schedule, which will include a lottery to determine the categories for the mayoral election, followed by voting for both the mayor and deputy mayor.

Mahayuti Alliance Holds Comfortable Majority

The Mahayuti alliance currently enjoys a significant majority. The combined strength of the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the BMC stands at 118 councilors, surpassing the 114 seats required for a majority by four. With the support of Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which holds three seats and is part of the Mahayuti alliance, this number increases to 121, further solidifying the ruling coalition's position.

Opposition Falls Short of Majority

On the opposition side, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) has secured 65 seats. They contested the elections in alliance with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which managed to win only six seats. The Congress party achieved 24 seats, while Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) obtained just one seat. Collectively, these parties garnered a total of 96 seats, which is significantly below the majority threshold.

Differences Within the MVA

The Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP) are components of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), but the Congress and NCP (SP) opted to contest the BMC elections independently. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had proposed that Congress join the alliance with MNS, but this proposal was rejected, leading to a fragmented opposition front.