Mumbai Mayor Scandal: BJP's Win Sparks Outrage as Opposition Claims Quota Lottery was Rigged

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The Mumbai civic body is set to have its first female mayor from the General category, following a contentious lottery held on Thursday. The draw, overseen by the State Urban Development Department, allocated mayoral posts in 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra. However, the process has been marred by allegations of foul play, with the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) claiming that the rules were manipulated to favor the ruling BJP and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. According to the system, mayors are elected through a draw-based rotation, with each category - Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and women - taking turns to hold the post. The lottery is conducted every 2.5 years, and this time around, it was the turn of women from the General category to become mayors. Former CM Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) had hoped to secure the post for a candidate from the Scheduled Tribes category, but their hopes were dashed when the lottery allocated the post to a woman from the General category. The opposition party has accused the ruling parties of rigging the system, but the government has dismissed their claims, stating that they lack substance. The mayoral election process involves multiple candidates vying for the post, with a minimum of 114 votes required to secure the position. The election is overseen by the seniormost member of the House, who acts as the presiding officer. Following the nominations, the candidate is given a 15-minute window to withdraw their nomination. The election process is conducted openly, with all corporators publicly declaring their votes. The controversy surrounding the lottery has sparked outrage, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar claiming that the rules were changed without informing anyone. In response, Madhuri Misal, minister of state for the State Urban Development Department, stated that the government had taken note of the objections but dismissed the opposition's claims as baseless. The BJP emerged victorious in the January 15 BMC elections, securing 89 seats, while Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, secured 29. The alliance crossed the halfway mark of 144 required to control the civic body, further fueling the controversy surrounding the lottery.