Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a public rally for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, in Mumbai, Tuesday.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The new general body of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in place, however, it would take some time for the election of new mayor, who is considered the first citizen of the city.
The new mayor is expected to take charge by the end of January.
The mayoral elections can be held only after the Maharashtra government’s Urban Development Department (UDD) draws the lots for the rotational reservation for Mumbai and 28 other municipal corporations that went to polls.
On Monday, the UDD scheduled the lottery draws on 22 January, 2026 at Mantralaya, the state secretariat.
The mayor’s post must be reserved by rotation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, women and open category.
The State Election Commission (SEC) conducts the elections which are announced by the Returning Officers (ROs) of the respective wards in each municipal corporation.
Thereafter the Municipal Commissioners (MCs) of each civic body publish the official gazette of the elected representatives and send it to the UDD, which will draw the lotteries.
Once the lotteries are drawn, the Divisional Commissioners will be called to hold meetings by respective municipal corporations except the BMC, where the MC will conduct the process.
Officials said that the reservation will be decided based on the proportion of the population of SC, ST and OBC in the state.
The 2011 census will be used to decide the reservation.
The process resulted from the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which gave constitutional status to urban local bodies and mandated reservation for SCs, STs and Women in leadership positions.
In Maharashtra, this is implemented through the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, which extends reservation to OBCs as well.
To ensure fairness, based on past terms, the UDD prepares a rotation list of eligible categories and then the public draw is held.
The mayor is elected by corporators from among themselves for a term of two-and-a-half years.