After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the excitement regarding the post of Mayor has increased in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is of the clear opinion that Shiv Sena will respect the mandate given to the BJP-led grand alliance in BMC.

Sources also said that the shifting of 29 elected Shiv Sena councilors to a five star hotel in Mumbai is being unnecessarily exaggerated. In fact, after the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance got a slight majority in the recently held Municipal Corporation elections, these 29 newly elected councilors were shifted to the hotel.

‘There was no discussion on this with BJP leadership’

There is speculation that Shinde wants the post of BMC mayor for Shiv Sena at least for the first two and a half years as this is the year of birth centenary of party founder late Bal Thackeray. Shiv Sena sources said that Shinde knows that his party will not get this post and he has not even talked to the BJP leadership on this issue till now. However, he also does not want to give the message that he has backed down.

Will get a place in important committees!

A close aide of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, “Shiv Sainiks want the party to have its own mayor on the occasion of Balasaheb Thackeray’s birth centenary. Although Shinde knows that BJP will not accept the Shiv Sena mayor’s demand, still there is no harm in a public discussion. Shinde cannot be seen as a leader who will back down. At least the party will get a place in some other important committees.”

No intention to violate the mandate – Shinde

According to sources, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde has clearly said that he has no intention of violating the mandate given to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in Mumbai. He also said that there is unnecessary talk of shifting 29 elected Shiv Sena councilors to a five star hotel in Mumbai to prevent them from switching sides.

Sources said it is a training workshop for the newly elected members and an opportunity for Shinde to get acquainted with them and tell them what he expects from them.

Shiv Sena leader and spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam has given sharp statements regarding Mumbai politics, mayor’s post and opposition parties. He said that legal processes are pending for the post of Mayor of Mumbai and the clear mandate is in favor of Mahayuti. In such a situation, it is natural to feel uneasiness in the Shiv Sena UBT camp, but according to them, the mayor will be from Mahayuti only.

Sanjay Nirupam said that before becoming Mumbai Mayor, the reservation process will be completed and it is decided through lottery. After this, the leaders of Mahayuti will sit together and take the final decision. He bluntly said that no matter what Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut do, he will not become mayor because the mandate is clear.

Questions on Shiv Sena UBT mayor option

Sanjay Nirupam alleged that Shiv Sena UBT’s restlessness is the result of the public’s decision against the alleged ‘coffer loot’ of 27 years. He said that Mumbai has given its decision and now Shiv Sena UBT is left with no concrete option.

Counterattack on Sanjay Raut’s statement

Eknath Shinde’s leader Sanjay Nirupam hit back at Sanjay Raut’s statement that ‘PM Modi should introspect’ and said that the alliance has got the majority and not the opposition. He sarcastically said that Sanjay Raut is a great fool. He himself should introspect as to why the public rejected him.

Allegations of excluding Shiv Sena UBT from voting

Nirupam termed the allegations of Shiv Sena UBT being excluded from voting as “fantasy”. He says that Mahayuti has enough corporators and Raut has no role in this process, yet they are unnecessarily restless.

Speaking on the number of Muslim corporators, Nirupam said that a section has been moving to different parties from time to time. He claimed that the shops of SP and Muslim League will be closed.

Sanjay Nirupam raised questions on AIMIM on the victory of wife of riot accused Faheem Khan in Nagpur. He said that giving tickets to those who are accused of riots gives a wrong message and peace loving people need to be cautious.

BMC Elections 2026: Municipal elections are going on in Maharashtra and Delhi will also get its new mayor in April. Change of mayor is expected soon in both Mumbai and Delhi. In such a situation, the comparison between India’s two largest civic bodies has once again become a topic of discussion. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi are often described as powerful urban institutions. But let us tell you that there is a huge difference in the financial strength of these two. Let us know who is richer between BMC and MCD and who is more powerful among the mayors of both.

A big difference in the assets of BMC and MCD

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is by far the richest civic body in India and even Asia. BMC’s budget for the financial year 2025-26 is shocking. This budget is of ₹74,427 crore. This is not only bigger than the municipal budget of Delhi but also bigger than the annual budget of many Indian states.

In comparison, Municipal Corporation of Delhi has presented a budget of approximately ₹16,530 crore for 2026-27. After municipal integration of Delhi, the financial capacity of MCD is much less than that of Mumbai. Simply put, BMC is four times richer than MCD.

Bigger budget means more powerful mayor

Actually it is not so at all. In both Mumbai and Delhi, the mayor does not have executive power, no matter how rich the civic body is. The Mayor is primarily the political and ceremonial head of the corporation and not the administrative one. In Mumbai, even though BMC may not have much funds, the real executive authority lies with the Municipal Commissioner. He is usually a senior IAS officer appointed by the state government. The Commissioner controls finance, administration, project execution and staff.

Power structure in MCD of Delhi

Delhi also follows a similar model. Municipal Commissioner is the most powerful in MCD. It has executive, financial and administrative authority. The mayor presides over the meetings of the corporation and also leads the city. The position of the Mayor of Delhi is further weakened by a short tenure of one year and multiple layers of standing committee and approval.

So what is the role of the mayor?

In both cities, mayors set the agenda and create representation and political identity rather than direct governance. The Mayor presides over House meetings, manages debates, leads the city as the city’s first citizen, and performs ceremonial duties such as welcoming the President, Prime Minister or foreign guests.

Also read: The budget of Mumbai Municipal Corporation is more than that of how many states of the country? The figures will blow your mind