When the newly elected Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) convenes after a gap of four years, the eight corporators of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will be led by 33-year-old Vijay Ubale — an unlikely leader for a party widely perceived as drawing its support primarily from Muslim voters and championing minority rights.
Ubale’s rise is as striking as his association with AIMIM. From a humble background and with limited financial resources, he won from Ward 140 — one of Mumbai’s poorest localities in the Mankhurd–eastern Chembur belt — largely on the goodwill he built over the years by teaching children and offering home tuitions in the area.
Ward 140, located in Govandi’s M-East ward, is among Mumbai’s most densely populated pockets. It includes Gautam Nagar, Niloni Nagar, Tata Nagar, the Deonar slaughterhouse area and parts of Shivaji Nagar. Nearly 70 per cent of the ward comprises informal housing and slum clusters near the Deonar dumping ground.
The 2026 municipal elections saw the Owaisi-led AIMIM make major gains across Maharashtra, winning 126 seats statewide, of which six were non-Muslim corporators. In Mumbai, the party’s tally rose sharply to eight seats from just two in 2017. Of AIMIM’s eight Mumbai corporators, seven are Muslim; Ubale, a Buddhist, is the lone exception.
Ubale declared total assets of Rs 1.5 lakh and an annual family income of around Rs 2.5 lakh. His affidavit lists six bank accounts — three with zero balance and the others with Rs 4, Rs 464 and Rs 2,265 respectively. Party workers said his campaign was sustained largely through support from friends, former students and local AIMIM cadres.
The contest in Ward 140 was closely watched. Prajyoti Handore, daughter of Rajya Sabha MP Chandrakant Handore, was considered a strong contender but finished fifth. Candidates from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and Shiv Sena (UBT) came second and third respectively, while the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate also failed to make the top five. Ubale emerged the winner, polling 4,945 votes and defeating the runner-up by 1,523 votes.
Born and raised in Govandi, Ubale completed Class 10 from Dnyansadhana Vidyalaya, Govandi, passed his HSC from Siddharth College, Fort, and graduated with a BSc in Mathematics from K J Somaiya College in 2013.
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The son of an autorickshaw driver, he began teaching mathematics during his college years, charging Rs 150–200 for two-hour sessions. “Word spread across Govandi, Mankhurd and Vashi, and I began getting steady work with local coaching classes,” he said. “The income helped support my parents and younger brothers.” One brother now works as a junior engineer at BARC Hospital, while the youngest is still studying.
“My family lives in a 150-square-foot one-plus-one house bought by my grandfather three decades ago. I stay on the ground floor with my parents and brothers, while my uncle’s family lives on the mezzanine floor,” Ubale said.
Popular among students as “Vijay Sir”, he teaches mathematics in Govandi, Mankhurd and Vashi. Though several Ambedkarite parties, including different factions of the Republican Party of India, have a presence in the locality, Ubale gravitated towards AIMIM. “Its commitment to the Constitution and its stand against injustice is what drew me to Asaduddin Owaisi,” he said. He was appointed joint secretary of the party’s Mankhurd taluka unit three years ago.
The strong performance of his friend Ateeque Khan, who finished runner-up on an AIMIM ticket in the 2024 Assembly election from Mankhurd, gave the party confidence to expand in the area. Since Ward 140 was reserved for Scheduled Castes, Khan persuaded Ubale to contest. “I never thought I would fight an election,” Ubale said. “But his encouragement and the backing of party workers, friends and relatives convinced me.”
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His campaign relied heavily on former students and their families. “For over 10 years, I have taught mathematics to more than 8,000 students across Govandi, Mankhurd and Vashi. Many of them, now voters, walked with me door to door,” he said.
AIMIM workers also credited a rally addressed by party chief Asaduddin Owaisi just before polling for mobilising young voters and helping the party break the Samajwadi Party’s hold over the area.
Ubale defeated 15 candidates, including nominees of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress. He contested from Ward 140 despite residing in Ward 136 after it was declared reserved for Scheduled Castes. “Members from all communities have voted for me,” he said.
Rejecting caste or religion-based politics, Ubale said his priorities would be governance and development. “We follow the thoughts of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution,” he said.
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His immediate goals include making the ward drug-free, ensuring transparency in the use of civic funds, improving drainage and roads, developing parks and playgrounds, and pushing for more secondary schools and colleges.
Now appointed leader of the AIMIM group in the BMC, Ubale appears overwhelmed as he shuttles between party offices completing paperwork ahead of the House session.
“I teach students to become good citizens. I will do the same in politics. When good people enter politics, corruption will automatically reduce,” he said.
