×

5 women vying for Mumbai Mayor: Meet the BJP's top candidates

Potential frontrunners include veteran corporators like Alka Kelkar and new faces like Tejaswi Ghosalkar, setting the stage for a critical decision in the municipal council

Representational | X

Now that the lottery in Mumbai Municipal Council has made it clear that the Mumbai mayor’s post was reserved for a woman from the General Category, power games have  begun in India’s richest municipal council.

As the race intensifies, the BJP, the single largest party in the BMC, will hold its newly elected corporators in the next two to three days to choose a group leader, the party's Mumbai unit chief Ameet Satam said on Thursday.

According to reports, five names are being discussed as the face of the Mayoral post.

1) Tejaswi Abhishek Ghosalkar:  Ghosalkar has won the elections, defeating Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate by a margin of over 10,000 votes. She contested from Dahisar Ward No. 2 in Mumbai. She had joined the party ahead of the elections, leaving the Shiv Sena (UBT). However, there was widespread anger within the party after the BJP decided to give her the seat.

2) Yogita Sunil Koli : Yogita Sunil Koli has won from Malad with a large margin. The win was decisive because the contest in this ward was a two-candidate fight. In this straight  contest, Yogita Sunil Koli secured a historic win, defeating her lone rival by a massive margin.

3) Asha Marathe: BJP's Asha Marathe has become a corporator for the third time. Will she be the one to be elected mayor? There is also a lot of discussion about this.

4) Alka Kelkar:  A senior BJP leader, she has also served as the Deputy Mayor of Mumbai. She has also become a corporator for the fourth time. Therefore, there is also  talk that she may get the post of Mayor. Her close ties to the BJP's core group and  organisation make her a strong contender.  

5) Ritu Tawde: Ritu Tawde holds the post of the BJP's Mahila Morcha. She has also been   elected for the second time. The BJP may place its trust in her

Other names doing the rounds include Rajshree Shirwadkar, a BJP councillor who won from Ward 172, and Sheetal Gambhir, who won from Ward 190.