Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Nov 12: In a major political development, Mumbai’s civic landscape witnessed a dramatic shift on Tuesday as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced the results of its much-awaited ward reservation lottery, altering the electoral prospects of several veteran corporators and former mayors.
The draw, conducted at Balgandharva Rangmandir in Bandra West, determined the reservation of all 227 civic wards for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women, setting the stage for a reshaped political battle ahead of the January 2026 civic polls.
As per the new framework, 61 wards have been reserved for OBCs, 15 for SCs, two for STs, and 74 for women in the general category, while 75 wards remain unreserved. In total, 114 seats have been earmarked for women — including 8 in SC, 1 in ST, 31 in OBC, and 74 in general categories.
However, the rotation has upended political equations across the city. Several sitting corporators, including former mayors, have been left without their traditional seats. The F North ward — covering Matunga and Sion — saw nine out of ten seats reserved for women, leaving long-time corporator and former opposition leader Ravi Raja, who recently joined the BJP after decades with the Congress, without a constituency. “My ward is now reserved as an OBC ladies’ ward. Though this is a setback, I’ll continue to work for the party and support our candidates,” Raja said.
Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar’s ward (199) in G South has also been reserved for women, while her party colleague Vishaka Raut from Dadar’s ward 191 — another ex-mayor — will see her seat go to an OBC women candidate. “The new system will give opportunities to fresh faces. Our party will take a collective decision on future plans,” Raut said.
In Dahisar, Sena (UBT) corporator Tejasvee Ghosalkar, wife of slain leader Abhishek Ghosalkar, is also affected by the new allotment. Similarly, Milind Vaidya from Mahim (ward 182) and BJP’s Neil Somaiya from Mulund (ward 108) have lost their existing wards due to the rotation policy.
In South Mumbai’s A Ward, the influential Narwekar family has decided to switch constituencies after Harshita Narwekar’s Cuffe Parade (ward 226) was reserved for OBCs and Makarand Narwekar’s Colaba (ward 227) was reserved for women. “We’ve simply swapped wards. I’ll contest from his and he’ll contest from mine,” said Harshita.
Congress leader Asif Zakaria from Bandra West (H West Ward) also found himself affected. “Almost all seats are reserved for women or OBC women. The party will decide what’s next,” he stated.
The BMC administration will now submit the lottery results to the State Election Commission, with a draft list to be released on November 14. Citizens can file objections until November 20, and the final list will be published on November 28.
This election will be the first conducted under the ‘BMC Manner of Allotment and Rotation of Reservation of Seats of Councillors in Wards Rules, 2025’, which prioritises wards based on demographic composition.
With Mumbai’s richest civic body under administrative rule since 2022, the new reservation pattern has triggered intense political recalculations, setting the stage for a high-stakes civic showdown in 2026.