Ritu Tawde, a BJP corporator, is set to become Mumbai’s first female mayor in 25 years after her nomination was confirmed.

Ritu Tawde, a senior BJP corporator from Ghatkopar, has been nominated as Mumbai’s mayoral candidate, marking the first time in 25 years a non-Shiv Sena leader will head the city’s municipal corporation. Her appointment follows the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) alliance’s decisive victory in the January 2026 civic elections, securing 118 of 227 seats. Tawde, a three-term corporator and former education committee chair, will face a formal vote on February 11, expected to be uncontested. The mayoral post, reserved for a woman from the general category, ends nearly four years of state-appointed administration at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.