The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday named Ritu Tawde as its mayoral candidate for Mumbai, bringing renewed attention to the city’s top civic post. Tawde is set to formally take charge on February 11 in an unopposed election, with the opposition Shiv Sena and Congress yet to announce a candidate.
Speaking after her nomination, Tawde outlined an ambitious agenda. “This is a cosmopolitan city with people from across the country and across different income groups working here. Our priority is to work for them and work towards fixing Mumbai’s roads, infrastructure, water and drainage systems. Along with this, we will work towards removing illegal Bangladeshi migrants who come here and encroach the city,” she told reporters.
But beyond the promises and political messaging lies a basic question that often goes unexamined: does Mumbai’s mayor have the power to deliver on these assurances?
In global cities such as New York City and London, mayors run city governments. They control large budgets, head key departments and are directly responsible for policing, transport, housing and long term planning. Elections in these cities determine who governs and who is held accountable when services fail.
Mumbai functions very differently. Despite being home to one of Asia’s richest municipal bodies, the city’s mayor has limited authority over money, officials or daily administration. Most executive power rests with the municipal commissioner, a senior bureaucrat appointed by the Maharashtra government.
New York: A Mayor Who Runs the City
In New York City, the mayor is the head of the city government. Under the city charter, the mayor runs major public services, including the police, fire department, public schools, transport, housing, health services and sanitation.
The scale of responsibility is reflected in the budget. New York City’s budget for the 2025 26 financial year is about 115.9 billion dollars, the largest municipal budget in the United States. The mayor prepares the budget and sets spending priorities, which are then reviewed and approved by the City Council.
The mayor also oversees a vast workforce. More than 325000 city employees work in departments that report to City Hall, including the police department and the education system, which serves over one million students. Heads of key departments are appointed by the mayor.
Because the mayor controls both policy and spending, accountability is clear. Crime levels, school outcomes, housing shortages and transport problems are widely seen as the mayor’s responsibility, and voters judge performance directly at the next election.
London: Control Over Citywide Services
The mayor of London also wields significant authority, though within a different structure. The mayor is directly elected and heads the Greater London Authority, which oversees citywide services.
For the 2026 27 financial year, the London mayor controls a budget of about 20.7 billion pounds, funding public transport, policing oversight, fire services, housing programmes and economic development.
One of the mayor’s biggest responsibilities is transport. Transport for London, which runs the Underground, buses and major roads, operates under the mayor’s authority and employs more than 25000 staff. The mayor also sets policing priorities through the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and oversees the London Fire Commissioner.
While local councils manage services such as garbage collection and neighbourhood housing, the mayor sets the city’s overall direction on transport policy, major infrastructure projects and long term planning. The London Assembly scrutinises these decisions, but the mayor remains the main public authority responsible for how the city functions.
Mumbai: A Mayor Without Executive Power
Mumbai’s system stands in sharp contrast. Under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act 1888, the mayor of Mumbai is not the executive head of the city and has limited formal powers. The law defines the mayor mainly as the presiding authority of the Municipal Corporation, responsible for chairing meetings and representing the city at official events.
Executive authority is vested in the municipal commissioner, an Indian Administrative Service officer appointed by the Maharashtra government. The commissioner is the chief executive of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and is responsible for implementing decisions, running civic departments, managing staff and executing infrastructure projects.
The mayor has no role in preparing or executing the civic budget, appointing or disciplining officials, directing departments or signing most contracts. These powers lie with the commissioner under the Act.
This is despite the scale of the civic body. The BMC’s budget for 2025 26 stood at Rs 74427 crore rupees, larger than the budgets of several Indian states. Yet the mayor does not control how this money is allocated or spent.
The mayor is elected indirectly by corporators and serves a term of two and a half years. The role largely involves chairing meetings and performing ceremonial duties.
The accountability of the mayor is quite blurred. When civic problems arise responsibility is split between the bureaucracy, the state government and the elected council. The mayor remains the most visible civic figure, but has limited authority to fix the problems the city faces.
Ritu Tawde, BJP’s mayoral nominee for Mumbai, is set to assume office on February 11 after being elected unopposed, with the opposition yet to name a challenger. (File Photo) 
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