Mumbai mayoral race: Sheetal Gambhir Desai and Ritu Tawde emerge as front-runners

BJP begins shortlisting candidates for top civic post, with party leaders stressing outreach and crisis response as key criteria

3 min readMumbaiJan 30, 2026 09:43 PM IST

At a Shivaji Park rally, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had named Sheetal Gambhir Desai as someone capable of taking on Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray in debates on civic issues

WITH THE BJP asserting its claim to the Mumbai mayor’s post in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the party has begun drawing up a shortlist of probable candidates to lead the country’s richest civic body.

As per the reservation lottery, the next BMC mayor will be a woman from the general category. BJP leaders said several corporators with experience and public outreach were under consideration, with Sheetal Gambhir Desai and Ritu Tawde emerging as the main contenders.

At a Shivaji Park rally, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had named Sheetal Gambhir Desai as someone capable of taking on Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray in debates on civic issues. The daughter of former Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Gambhir, Sheetal won from Ward 190 in Mahim Dadar, a Shiv Sena UBT stronghold with a large Marathi population. She heads the BJP Mumbai women’s wing and is seen within the party as an articulate leader with a grasp of city issues.

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Party colleagues describe her as well connected and committed to public causes. She has said, “To retain people’s trust we should not fail in our duty.”

Another name under discussion is Ritu Tawde, a second term corporator from Ward 132 in Ghatkopar. BJP leaders said she is known within the Mumbai unit for her ability to handle both civic issues and public interactions. Despite belonging to the Maratha community, she won from a ward dominated by Gujarati voters and is considered accessible and active at the local level.

Senior BJP leaders said the selection would not be based on seniority alone, as in the past, but on broader criteria, including the ability to expand the party’s outreach and respond quickly to civic crises.

“The mayor candidate should have the ability to rush to the site when a situation demanded to address the issues raised by the public. Be it floods during monsoons or building collapse the mayor should be on the spot and ensure all necessary help from the civic administration,” a party leader said.

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While the BMC results were declared on January 16, the process of party registration and appointment of group leaders has been delayed. Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam said the process would begin shortly. It was put on hold following the death of NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, with registration now expected to take place next week after the three-day mourning period ends.

The formal process of electing the mayor is expected to begin after party registration is completed and the civic council is constituted.

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