Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: 4 team Uddhav leaders go ‘missing’ ahead of voting
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The Shiv Sena (UBT) lodged a police complaint over four of its corporators who are allegedly untraceable. This comes amid claims that they may switch allegiance to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Mumbai Mayor Election Highlights: The BJP-led Mahayuti, which swept the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections last week, will appoint a woman mayor from the open category in Mumbai following the completion of the lottery-based reservation process on Thursday....Read More
The decision came as a setback for the Shiv Sena (UBT), which had expected the mayor’s post to be reserved for a Scheduled Tribe woman, since both eligible candidates in that category belonged to Uddhav Thackeray’s party.
With the reservation process concluded, focus has now shifted to the probable contenders for the BMC mayor’s post. The leading names include Alka Kerkar, a three-time corporator and former deputy mayor, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-time corporator.
Opposition's rigged lottery allegations
The lottery-based reservation process sparked strong opposition criticism, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) alleging that it was manipulated to favour the ruling alliance. As the draw was being conducted, the party claimed the exercise had been fixed to benefit the BJP–Shiv Sena combine.
Former Mumbai mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar, who attended the meeting, alleged that the government had altered reservation norms for the Scheduled Tribe category by increasing the minimum number of seats from two to three across municipal corporations.
“This amounts to an injustice to SCs and STs, as Mumbai was excluded from these reservations, as well as from OBC reservation,” she said.
UBT faction appeals to Shinde-led Sena
Amid the battle for control of civic bodies across Maharashtra, a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader on Friday appealed to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to back the Uddhav Thackeray faction’s candidate in the BMC mayoral election, rather than support its ally, the BJP.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav said such support would serve as a tribute to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in his 100th birth anniversary year. “Those who claim to uphold Balasaheb’s ideals and project themselves as his true inheritors should support the Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate in the BMC polls. That would be the real tribute to Balasaheb in his birth centenary year,” Jadhav told PTI.
He added that anyone asserting themselves as the true inheritors of Bal Thackeray’s legacy should not side with the BJP.
More on BMC election results
In the January 15 BMC elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats. The Shiv Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde secured 29 seats, helping the Mahayuti alliance cross the halfway mark of 114 seats needed to form the civic administration.
The Shiv Sena (UBT), which governed the BMC for 25 years since 1997 when the party was united, won 65 seats. Its allies—the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar)—bagged six seats and one seat respectively.
Given the narrow margins, Shinde-led Sena moved its winning corporators to a hotel in Bandra to prevent any poaching attempts.
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- 25 Jan 2026, 10:53:46 PM IST
Live updates on the Mumbai mayor election end here.
- 25 Jan 2026, 10:50:20 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Which corporations will have women mayors?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi-Nizampur will have mayors from the general category, with the first three reserved for women.
Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Ahilyanagar will have women mayors from the OBC category.
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- 25 Jan 2026, 07:13:35 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Which corporations will have women mayors?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi-Nizampur will have mayors from the general category, with the first three reserved for women.
Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Ahilyanagar will have women mayors from the OBC category.
- 25 Jan 2026, 05:30:42 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: How is a mayor elected in Mumbai?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Unlike other elections, the mayoral poll does not involve a secret ballot. “The entire process is conducted openly,” a former senior corporator told HT. “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.
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.
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- 25 Jan 2026, 03:54:17 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Anant Gadgil urges Congress to introspect after poor show in Maharashtra civic polls
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Senior Congress leader Anant Gadgil has called for urgent introspection within the party following its dismal performance in the recent Maharashtra municipal elections, stressing the need to reconnect with core workers and the rural base to remain politically relevant.
Gadgil said the Congress must look inward at a time when political discourse is dominated by the BJP’s electoral gains and internal tensions within the ruling Mahayuti over mayoral posts.
- 25 Jan 2026, 12:05:51 PM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: BMC mayor’s term to be split in two parts
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: In line with a long-standing practice of the BMC, the mayor’s term in Mumbai is divided into two equal parts.
The elected mayor serves for 2.5 years, after which a fresh election is held for the remaining term. This system was also followed in the previous BMC term.
In 2017, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar served as mayor for 2.5 years until November 2019. He was succeeded by Kishori Pednekar, who held the post until 2022.
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- 25 Jan 2026, 11:24:58 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Shiv Sena (UBT) not just a party but an idea: Uddhav
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Days after facing defeat in the Mumbai civic body polls, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has said that the BJP was mistaken if it thought it could finish his party, which was not just a political entity but an idea, PTI reported.
"The BJP is wrong if it thinks it can finish Shiv Sena (UBT). The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not a party but an idea," Uddhav said.
Addressing party workers on Friday, Uddhav said many people are trying to erase the Thackeray name, but it won't happen.
- 25 Jan 2026, 11:23:59 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Will Mumbai get a woman mayor?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Mumbai’s next mayor is set to be a woman from the General category, as per a lottery held on Thursday, amid opposition allegations that the procedure was “fixed” to suit the ruling party.
The key contenders for the mayor’s post are Alka Kerkar, a three-term corporator and former deputy mayor and Rajashree Shirwadkar, also a three-term corporator and a former member of the Standing Committee.
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- 25 Jan 2026, 10:58:46 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Which corporations will have women mayors?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: In the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi-Nizampur will have mayors from the general category, with the first three reserved for women.
Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Ahilyanagar will have women mayors from the OBC category.
- 25 Jan 2026, 09:59:19 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: 4 Uddhav Sena corporators from Kalyan go 'missing' amid defection concerns
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The Shiv Sena (UBT) lodged a police complaint over four of its corporators who are allegedly untraceable.
The corporators who are not contactable are Madhur Mhatre, Kirti Dhone, Rahul Kot and Swapnil Kene.
This comes amid claims that they may switch allegiance to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “We filed a complaint with the police as our corporators are missing. We will put up posters in the KDMC. They were elected on our symbol. They are traitors and chose a different path 24 hours after their victory.” - {{^htLoading}}
- 25 Jan 2026, 09:34:07 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Sena (UBT) urges Shinde camp to back Thackeray candidate in BMC mayor poll
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: Amid the post-poll power tussle in Maharashtra’s civic bodies, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav urged the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to support his party’s candidate for the BMC mayor’s post instead of ally BJP.
He said such a move would be a “true tribute” to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in his 100th birth centenary year.
- 25 Jan 2026, 09:33:30 AM IST
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: When will Mumbai mayor be announced?
Mumbai Mayor Election Live Updates: The Mumbai mayor is likely to be announced on January 28 or 29, according to people familiar with the process.
Amid the political churn following the civic election results, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday accused the ruling dispensation in Maharashtra of encouraging defections, calling the current political climate a “market of slaves” driven by money power. He alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was behaving like a feudal lord who believes loyalty can be auctioned.
Raut also claimed that Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar would eventually be forced to leave the present state government. “One cannot keep a foot in two boats,” he said.
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