As suspense over BMC mayor continues, a lottery to start the process

The mayoral election will mark the 1st major political milestone in the BMC’s new term, setting the tone for governance in India’s richest civic body.

The process for electing the next mayor of the BMC will formally begin on Thursday when the state government’s urban development department draws lots to decide the reservation category for the post. The mayoral election will mark the first major political milestone in the BMC’s new term, setting the tone for governance and power-sharing in India’s richest civic body with a budget of ₹75,000 crore.

Mumbai…22nd November 2011…News… Bombay Municipal corporation headquarters in Mumbai…HT photo by Hemant Padalkar (Hindustan Times)

The law stipulates that the mayor’s post must be reserved by rotation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Women candidates. It is only after this lottery is conducted that the statutory procedure for the mayoral election can begin.

Following the reservation announcement, a special meeting of the BMC house is convened to notify members of the mayoral election schedule. Typically, a seven-day window is provided after the notification, placing the mayoral election this time around January 28 or 29.

Under the BMC’s established convention, the mayor’s term is split into two equal halves. The elected mayor serves for 2.5 years, after which a fresh election is held for the remainder of the tenure. This system was followed in the previous BMC term as well—in 2017, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar served for 2.5 years till November 2019, after which Kishori Pednekar was elected and remained in office until 2022.

The mayoral election is overseen by the seniormost councillor in the house, who acts as the presiding officer. Traditionally, this officer is from the ruling alliance. After nominations are filed, candidates are given a 15-minute window to withdraw their nominations.

Unlike other elections, the mayoral poll does not involve a secret ballot. “The entire process is conducted openly,” said a former senior corporator. “All 227 corporators publicly declare whom they are voting for, and the proceedings are videographed.”

After the votes are recorded and counted, the mayor is declared elected. The same procedure is then followed for the election of the deputy mayor. While the deputy mayor’s post is not explicitly mentioned in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, elections are held on the same day based on a resolution passed by the House.

Smaller parties such as the AIMIM and the Samajwadi Party traditionally do not choose to participate actively in the mayoral election process.

Once the mayor is elected, the ruling party formally submits to him the names of its leader and group leader in the House while the opposition submits the name of the leader of the Opposition. In the same meeting, the names of members of the powerful standing committee are announced.

Appointments are also made to key civic committees, including those overseeing improvements, the BEST undertaking, education, works and health. The chairpersons of these committees are decided based on party strength and negotiations within the ruling alliance.

Political parties with more than five corporators are entitled to a party office within the BMC premises. In this term, the AIMIM will also be allotted one. Offices that were sealed during former municipal commissioner I S Chahal’s tenure amid the Shiv Sena split are expected to reopen.

BMC budget in February

Next month, the standing committee will, for the first time in three years, present the BMC budget. It was presented from 2022-2025 by the municipal commissioner who, in the absence of an elected body, was the administrator reporting directly to the state government. The budget will be followed by a discussion in the general body, after which the civic budget for 2026-27 is expected to be approved by February 28.