A day after filing his nomination for the post of deputy mayor of Mumbai, Sanjay Ghadi said that this role and that of the mayor should come with more powers. Speaking to mid-day, Ghadi said that while these positions come with the responsibility of addressing citizens’ grievances and queries, they are more symbolic than functional. “I will write to the urban development (UD) department asking for delegation of more powers to the mayor and deputy mayor,” he added. According to the numbers presented in the last budget, the BMC has a budget of Rs 74,000 crore, much higher than those of several smaller states in India.

However, unlike global cities where mayors have direct control over budgets, officials, and daily administration, Mumbai’s mayor and deputy mayor have very limited authority and their roles are largely ceremonial (chairing BMC meetings and representing the city at official events), while the majority of the executive power rests with the municipal commissioner, a senior bureaucrat appointed by the Maharashtra government.