Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters are hopeful that their party could still claim the Mumbai mayoral post in the upcoming election, despite not securing the highest number of seats in the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. The optimism stems from the unique rotational reservation system, where a lottery conducted by the Urban Development Department decides the category for the mayor—women, Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or Other Backward Classes (OBC). This lottery, set for tomorrow, will determine eligibility before parties name candidates.

Crucially, the current term excludes the general category, as the previous mayor, Kishori Pednekar, belonged to it. Out of the 227 corporator seats contested on January 15, the lottery had allocated only two reserved ST seats—both of which were won by Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates: Jitendra Walvi (male) and Deepmala Baban Badhe (female), both Marathi. No corporators from the BJP (89 seats) or Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (29 seats) belong to the ST category.

If the lottery assigns the mayoral post to the ST quota—considered unlikely due to Mumbai’s relatively small ST population of 1,29,653 but still possible—only Shiv Sena (UBT) would have eligible candidates. Political observers note that no party can ignore its campaign promise of a Marathi mayor, giving UBT a potential edge in this scenario. All major parties have Marathi SC candidates, but ST representation is exclusive to UBT.

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The lottery is overseen by Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, adding intrigue to the process. Officials emphasize that population criteria guide category allotments, with technical details to be clarified during the draw. Despite the BJP-led alliance holding a clear majority, this reservation roulette has sparked speculation in political circles.

Party chief Uddhav Thackeray fueled hopes among workers on Saturday, declaring it his “dream” to install a Shiv Sena (UBT) mayor in Mumbai. “And if God is willing, this dream will be realised,” he said, keeping supporters optimistic about a surprise turnaround.

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