BJP unlikely to share Mumbai mayor’s post with Shinde Sena: Sanjay Raut

Amid the BMC mayor race Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that Mumbai is likely to have a BJP mayor and that it was unlikely that the post would be shared the saffron partys ally the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena reported news agency PTINearly two weeks after the BJPShiv Sena alliance secured a win in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC elections uncertainty still surrounds the mayoral choiceSpeaking to reporters Sanjay Raut said that even if the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was unhappy over not getting the post it had no options He added that the Shindeled Sena would be given a few other positions in the civic body after taking up the matter with the BJPrsquos central leadershipldquoThey the BJP will have their mayor in Mumbairdquo the Rajya Sabha MP said reported PTILeaders of the Shindeled party have maintained that the mayor should be from the Shiv Sena as 2026 marks the birth centenary of Bal Thackeray founder of the undivided Shiv SenaIn the highstake BMC Election 2026 held on January 15 the BJP won 89 seats the Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT secured 65 the Shindeled Shiv Sena got 29 Congress won 24 seats and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena secured six seats among others No single party secured a majority in the 227member civic bodyMumbai mayorrsquos bungalow to be renovated after lying shut for four yearsAfter remaining shut and unused for nearly four years the Mumbai Mayorrsquos bungalow located inside the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Garden and Zoo at Byculla is set to undergo renovation and restoration ahead of the appointment of the cityrsquos next mayor The bungalow has remained vacant since 2022 Civic officials said renovation work is now being taken up on priority to ensure the residence is ready for occupationThe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC was unable to float tenders earlier due to the model code of conduct which came into force after the civic elections were announced on December 15 2025 As a result while the renovation work has now commenced the final costing of the project will be done post factoWhat will the renovation includegtgt The restoration work is scheduled to be completed within 60 days and will includegtgt General cleaning of the premises as well as the replacement and upgrading of upholsterygtgt Repair polishing and restoration of heritage furnituregtgt Replacement of damaged seatinggtgt Waterproofing wherever requiredgtgt Painting of the bungalowWhen was bungalow last usedgtgt Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar of the Shiv Sena UBT last used the Byculla bungalow as her official residence during her tenure until 2017gtgt The property was vacated after the completion of the BMC general bodyrsquos term for 2017 to 2022 following the end of the mayoral tenure in March 2022gtgt Prior to this the Mumbai mayorrsquos official residence was located opposite Shivaji Park overlooking the sea at Dadar beach That bungalow was vacated in 2018 by Vishwanath Mahadeshwar who served as mayor between March 2017 and November 2019gtgt The memorial of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray now stands on the site of the former mayorrsquos bungalow at Shivaji ParkWith PTI inputs