• Source:JND

As the reservation lottery has confirmed the mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to be a woman from the general category, the hopes of many senior leaders have crashed, and the names in the front-runners list have changed.

The Mahayuti will take to the throne India's largest and richest municipal corporation with the mayor from the BJP. Amid speculations over the names of the new mayor, eight prominent names have cropped up in the race for the top municipal post.

Ritu Tawade: According to reports, Ritu Tawade is among the leading candidates for the mayoral post, but can face a setback due to his political background. She was in Congress till 2012 before switching to the BJP. She has won Ward 132 (Ghatkopar) for the second time. Although what goes in her favour is her re-election from a Gujarati-majority area despite being a Maratha community face.

Alka Kerkar:  A three-time councillor, Alka is one of the senior-most candidates among her party colleagues and is better known for her strong local connections. She comes with an experience of serving as deputy mayor in BMC. After her latest win from Ward 98 (Bandra-Khar-Santacruz West), she is set to start her fourth term as councillor.

Rajshree Shriwadkar: Shirwadkar is another senior leader with experience of three terms. She has emerged victorious from Ward 172.

Tejashwi Ghoshalkar: Tejashwi (38) is a young candidate in the race of the BMC mayor. She was with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and switched to the BJP before the municipal elections. She registered a dominating win from Dahisar with a margin of 10,755 votes. Tejashwi comes from a strong political background as she is the daughter-in-law of former MLA Vinod Ghoshalkar and the wife of Abhishek Ghoshalkar.

Harshita Narvekar: A two-time councillor, Harshita is the sister-in-law of Rahul Narvekar, the Speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. She defeated UBT candidate Ajinkya Ashok Dhatrak from ward 225.

Preeti Seetam: Seetam is another BJP councillor with experience of two terms. She has showcased her growing base in suburban areas and has been elected from Goregaon.

Yogita Kohli: Kohli is also a two-time councillor and has been elected from Malad. She is among the leading BJP councillors in the BMC mayor race.

Sheetal Gambhir: Among many candidates is Sheetal Gambhir, who got elected to the BMC on a BJP ticket from ward 190.


Also In News