Who Is Ritu Tawde? BJP's Mumbai Mayoral Nominee

BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde faction announced their mayor and deputy mayor candidates on Saturday morning, February 7. The saffron party nominated Ritu Tawde as its candidate for the upcoming election for Mumbai Mayor, while the Shinde group chose to field Sanjay Ghadi for the deputy mayor post. 

The election for Mumbai Mayor and Deputy Mayor is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 11, at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in Mumbai. The election of mthe ayor and deputy will mark the return of the new mayor to the economic capital of India after a gap of nearly 4 years.

#WATCH | Mumbai | Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Elections | BJP’s Ritu Tawde has been named the Mahayuti’s nominee for the post of Mayor, while Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shankar Ghadi is the alliance’s nominee for Deputy Mayor. https://t.co/bsgW5cg05Lpic.twitter.com/eLhp2D52Ig

— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2026

 

Who Is Ritu Tawde?

Ritu Tawde is currently a senior BJP corporator from Gujarati dominated area Ghatkopar Ward no. 132 after winning the BMC elections 2026. She was first elected in 2012 from Ward No. 127 and later moved on to represent Ward No. 121 in Ghatkopar in 2017. She has also previously served as the chairperson of the education committee ofthe  Mumbai Municipal Corporation. 

Mumbai: BJP’s Ritu Tawde and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Ghadi file their nominations for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively. pic.twitter.com/YAQ0Q34xDn

— IANS (@ians_india) February 7, 2026

She has also been the vice-chairperson of the construction committee of the civic body. She is known as the aggressive face of North-East Mumbai. She had earlier staged an aggressive protest against the increase in electricity tariffs.

As per the lottery system, the BMC mayoral post is reserved for the open category woman corporator. Along with Tawde, other names in consideration were Rajashree Shirvadkar, Sheetal Gambhir Desai, Harshita Narvekar, Alka Kerkar, Swapna Mhatre and Tejasvini Ghosalkar. 

Also Read | BJP’s Ritu Tawde Named Mumbai Mayoral Candidate, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Ghadi Finalised as Deputy Mayor.

However, BJP's Mumbai President Amit Satam announced Tawade's name in the presence of party leaders and elected corporators. On the Shiv Sena’s decision to name Ghadi as Deputy Mayor for a term of just 1.5 years, Satam said the move was likely aimed at allowing party workers to serve the city in that role.

Satam said that after 44 years, Mumbai will have a BJP mayor.  “We have always been saying that the Mumbai Mayor will be a Marathi from the Mahayuti. In the coming days, our priority will be to provide Mumbai with a corruption-free administration and ensure the city’s continued progress. Ritu Tawde will lead the city as mayor, and it will be her responsibility to free the BMC from corruption,” he said, adding that the corruption which Uddhav Thackeray gave birth to in BMC will be finished forever. 

Pointing to the alliance’s numbers, Satam said the BJP–Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) combine has the required majority in the civic House. “The halfway mark is 114, and we have exactly 114 corporators. We have the mandate to govern,” he said, adding that any corporator willing to support the Mahayuti was welcome to do so.

Satam, however, clarified that AIMIM corporators would not be welcome. “Anyone who has sympathy for terrorist forces in the country is not welcome to us,” he said.

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