Mumbai Mayor BMC Election: Lottery To Decide Reservation Status Today

Mumbai: Mumbai is set to get its new mayor after nearly four years as a lottery draw on Thursday will decide which category the mayoral post will be reserved for. The result of this draw will shape the next phase of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) power game.

The state's Urban Development Department (UDD) will conduct a crucial lottery on Thursday to determine the reservation status of mayoral seats for 29 municipal corporations.

In the BMC elections, which were held on January 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the single largest party with 89 seats.

The mayor isn’t chosen directly by voters. Instead, the 227 newly elected corporators elect one of their own. Before they can do that, the reservation category for the mayor’s seat has to be decided. That’s done through a lottery draw, not a vote. Until that draw is officially notified, parties can’t nominate candidates. 

What exactly is this lottery about?

The mayor’s post in urban local bodies like the BMC is subject to reservation by rotation. This system aims to ensure leadership opportunities for different social groups, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women, on a rotating basis. The lottery picks which category the next mayoral post will be reserved for. Only after this draw can the formal mayoral election among corporators begin.

The state's Urban Development Department will hold a lottery at 11 am on Thursday on the sixth floor of the Mantralaya to decide which category the mayor’s seat will be reserved for. After that, the formal nomination and election process will begin.

An official from the UDD said, “Under the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the mayoral post must rotate among various categories, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and women. The reservation will be decided based on the proportion of the population of SC, ST and OBC in the state in the 2011 census.”

How does the lottery system work?

The reservation for the Mayor’s post is determined through a lottery system conducted by the state. Slips indicating different categories are placed together, and one is picked at random. The selected category becomes the reservation for the Mayor’s term.

Only councillors who fall under that category can contest the election. This system is meant to ensure rotation and representation across terms, but it also means political parties must wait before finalising their candidates.

When is the mayoral poll likely to be held?

According to officials, once the reservation category is announced, the Mayor’s election can be held quickly. Reports suggest January 28 is being looked at as a possible date, but this depends entirely on the state’s notification.

The election will be conducted through a secret ballot among elected corporators. The Mayor is chosen from within the BMC House and serves a term of two-and-a-half years.