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.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Friday attended a Shiv Sena UBT programme at Shanmukhanand Auditorium in Mumbai to mark the beginning of the Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s birth centenary.

Addressing the gathering, Raj Thackeray said, “Politics in Maharashtra has become a marketplace of slaves,” criticising the state’s current political landscape. He also read out his post on X, noting that “sometimes one has to be flexible in politics.”

Speaking about recent developments in Kalyan-Dombivli, Raj described the situation as “disgusting” and questioned the direction it was heading. He added that he had already discussed the matter with Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The lottery determines the category for which the mayor’s post will be reserved, such as general, women, SC, ST, and OBC categories. Once the category is announced, eligible candidates file their nominations.

Mumbai’s next mayor will be a woman from the general category, as determined by the lottery process.

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.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The mayor’s post in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has been set aside for a woman from the general category, after a draw held by the Maharashtra government on Thursday.

A number of senior women leaders are contesting for the role. They include BJP women’s wing vice-president Varsha Tapkir, Manjusha Nagpure, who was chosen without opposition, Ranjana Tilekar, the mother of MLA Yogesh Tilekar, Manasi Deshpande, and Swarda Bapat, the daughter-in-law of the late Girish Bapat.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: As the power struggle within the Mahayuti continues, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Thursday made a remark aimed at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He said a new group would soon break away from the Shiv Sena.

“In 2022, a faction broke away from our party, the Shiv Sena, and established itself in Surat. Its name was ESS (Eknath Sambhaji Shinde). Now, history is about to repeat itself once again. Far from the land of India, in a place called Davos, a new group (faction) is about to be formed. The name is URS (Uday Ravindra Samant),” Dubey was quoted as saying by ANI.

Mumbai’s next mayor will be a woman from the general category, as determined by a lottery held on Thursday, an official told PTI, even as the Opposition alleged the procedure was “fixed” to suit the ruling parties.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: Under the BMC’s long-standing practice, the mayor’s term is divided into two equal parts.

The elected mayor holds office for 2.5 years, after which a new election is held for the rest of the term.

This approach was used in the previous BMC term as well. In 2017, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar served for 2.5 years until November 2019, after which Kishori Pednekar was elected and stayed in the post until 2022.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The formal process for electing the mayor can begin only once the lottery is completed.

After the reservation is declared, a special session of the BMC house is called to inform members about the mayoral election timetable.

Usually, a seven-day period is given after this notice, which means the election is expected to take place around January 28 or 29.

In Maharashtra, mayors are elected by the corporators, and the eligibility is decided by a reservation by a draw-based system. Before the political parties name their candidates, the category of candidates is decided based on this reservation.

The mayor’s post is re-allotted every 2 and a half years through a lottery that includes general and reserved categories.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray said that the pain of not being able to meet Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray frequently after leaving the party was greater than the decision to quit itself. Describing his late uncle as a “mountain” of support, Raj said Bal Thackeray’s presence had always stood firmly behind him.

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 state’s ruling parties, the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: Next month, the standing committee will present the BMC budget for the first time in three years. From 2022 to 2025, it was presented by the municipal commissioner, who acted as the administrator and reported directly to the state government in the absence of an elected body.

The budget will then be taken up for discussion in the general body, after which the civic budget for 2026-27 is expected to be cleared by February 28, HT reported earlier.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: Replying to the claims of fraud, Madhuri Misal, minister of state for the Urban Development Department, who led the draw, said the government had noted the objections. She, however, rejected the Sena (UBT)’s charges, saying they had no basis.

She said the party wanted the reservation to suit its own interests, and added that the process had been carried out according to the rules.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The lottery process was challenged by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, who said the rules used to arrive at the decision were changed without any notice.

She said the previous two mayors were from the general category, so the next mayor should have come from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

“We condemn the way the procedure (of lottery) was conducted,” Pednekar said.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The lottery determines the category for which the mayor’s post will be reserved, such as general, women, SC, ST, and OBC categories. Once the category is announced, eligible candidates file their nominations.

Mumbai’s next mayor will be a woman from the general category, as determined by the lottery process.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: Even after securing a record 89 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the largest number won by a single party since the 2002 civic polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state leadership is reportedly ‘unhappy’ with the result. Sources described the performance as “below expectations”, HT reported earlier.

Leaders within the party pointed to poor coordination in the Mumbai unit, problems in picking candidates, and an inability to respond to the “Marathi asmita and Mumbai pride” campaign put forward by Raj and Uddhav Thackeray as main reasons for what they viewed as a weaker-than-expected outcome.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: According to the draw, mayoral posts in Ichalkaranji, Ahilyanagar, Kolhapur, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Akola, Panvel and Ulhasnagar have been reserved for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

Of these, Chandrapur, Ichalkaranji, Akola and Jalgaon will have women mayors from the OBC category.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The formal process for electing the mayor can begin only once the lottery is completed.

After the reservation is declared, a special session of the BMC house is called to inform members about the mayoral election timetable.

Usually, a seven-day period is given after this notice, which means the election is expected to take place around January 28 or 29.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: In Pimpri-Chinchwad, several BJP leaders have put their names forward for the mayor’s post. Shatrugna Kate, president of the BJP Pimpri-Chinchwad city unit, said he had already shared his interest. “I have been working for the BJP for a long time and had earlier also conveyed my willingness. It is our role to express interest; the final decision rests with the party leadership,” he said.

Besides Kate, the names of BJP leaders Ravi Landge, Nitin Landge and Sachin Tapkir are also being discussed in PCMC political circles, HT reported earlier.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: As the power struggle within the Mahayuti continues, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey on Thursday made a remark aimed at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He said a new group would soon break away from the Shiv Sena.

“In 2022, a faction broke away from our party, the Shiv Sena, and established itself in Surat. Its name was ESS (Eknath Sambhaji Shinde). Now, history is about to repeat itself once again. Far from the land of India, in a place called Davos, a new group (faction) is about to be formed. The name is URS (Uday Ravindra Samant),” Dubey was quoted as saying by ANI.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: Mumbai is set to get a woman mayor after a draw for the top post took place on Thursday. According to the results of the lottery process, the mayor will be from the general category.

Among the frontrunners are Alka Kerkar, a three-term corporator and former deputy mayor, and Rajashree Shirwadkar, a three-term corporator and former Standing Committee member.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday said Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has offered support to help it gain control of the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation, even though the MNS had contested the civic polls in Maharashtra alongside the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Shiv Sena leader and Shinde’s son, Shrikant Shinde, said they had registered a group of 53 corporators with the Konkan commissioner. “The MNS has also registered and given us support. We have fought elections with the BJP, and we will form the body of Mahayuti,” he said, referring to the BJP-led ruling alliance in the state.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: In Maharashtra, mayors are elected by the corporators, and the eligibility is decided by a reservation by a draw-based system.

Before the political parties name their candidates, the category of candidates is decided based on this reservation.

As per the law, the mayor’s post must be reserved by draw-based rotation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and women. Read full story here.

Mumbai mayor election live updates: The BJP will meet its newly elected corporators in the next two to three days to select a group leader and complete the group registration process with the Konkan divisional commissioner, party’s Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam told PTI on Thursday.

He added that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the party’s ally in the January 15 civic polls, will also hold a similar meeting during this time. After that, both parties will approach the Konkan divisional commissioner to complete the registration, Satam told reporters.