Mayor Reservations Announced for 29 Municipal Corporations

Maharashtra Civic Polls,Mumbai & Pune Open, Thane Reserved for SC

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Wasim Sheikh 

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@hindostantimes.com

MUMBAI:The Maharashtra State Urban Development Department has officially announced the reservation draw for the post of Mayor across 29 Municipal Corporations in the state. This long-awaited announcement marks a crucial step toward the upcoming local body elections, setting the stage for intense political maneuvering.

Big Cities Stay 'General'

In a significant development, the state’s major political hubs—including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Navi Mumbai—have been categorized under the General (Open) category. This allows candidates from any community to contest for the top civic post in these high-profile cities.

The reservation has brought surprises for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Thane, a high-stakes battleground, has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. Meanwhile, the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation has been marked for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

Detailed Reservation Breakdown:

Category | Municipal Corporations |

 General (Open) Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Solapur, Parbhani, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Malegaon, Mira-Bhayandar, Nanded, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad. 

 General (Women) Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Amravati, Dhule. 

 OBC | Kolhapur, Ulhasnagar, Panvel, Ichalkaranji. 

 OBC (Women) Akola, Chandrapur, Jalgaon, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar). 

 Scheduled Caste (SC) Thane. 

SC (Women) Latur, Jalna. 

Scheduled Tribe (ST) Kalyan-Dombivli. 

The reservation lottery has a direct impact on the aspirations of several local heavyweights. With seats like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Jalgaon being reserved for women, and Kolhapur moving to the OBC category, political parties will now have to scout for new faces that fit the criteria.

The 50% reservation for women across various categories ensures that at least 14 to 15 cities will be governed by women mayors, promoting female leadership in urban governance.