Nagpur: The political dice has been rolled in Mumbai, and the outcome has set the stage for a new chapter in Nagpur’s civic history. The Second Capital of Maharashtra is all set to welcome its eighth woman Mayor, following the reservation lottery draw for the mayoral post held on Thursday.
In a development that has surprised many political observers, the mayor’s post has been reserved for a woman from the general category, overturning widespread expectations that it would go to the Scheduled Castes this time. With this single draw, the race within the Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified, and lobbying has quietly, but decisively, begun.
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Given the BJP’s commanding position with 102 seats in the 151-member Nagpur Municipal Corporation, it is virtually certain that the city’s next First Citizen will emerge from the ruling party’s ranks. As speculation gathers pace, several seasoned women corporators have emerged as strong contenders. Names doing the rounds in political corridors include Nita Thakre, Divya Dhurde, Sadhana Barde, Ashwini Jichkar, Shivani Dani and Vishakha Mohod.
Public curiosity is particularly high as Nagpur happens to be the political stronghold of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, adding symbolic weight to the mayoral choice. Party insiders suggest that the final decision will be a careful balancing act, mixing seniority, electoral geography and social representation.
Among the leading aspirants, Nita Thakre, elected from the South Nagpur Assembly constituency, is seeking political redemption after narrowly missing the mayoral post in 2017. Divya Dhurde, another senior corporator from South Nagpur, is also being seen as a strong contender. Meanwhile, the South-West Nagpur Assembly constituency has thrown up multiple claimants, with Shivani Dani, Ashwini Jichkar and Vishakha Mohod all winning from the same region, strengthening their visibility in the mayoral race.
Sources indicate that the BJP leadership may also weigh the principle of social justice while finalising its nominee. During the municipal election ticket distribution, the party had considered Tara Munna Yadav as a candidate from the Gawli community, and similar considerations may influence the mayoral selection as well.
Political arithmetic across constituencies is also playing a role. In recent years, leaders such as Anil Sole, Nanda Jichkar and Sandeep Joshi have already served as mayor from the South-West Nagpur Assembly segment. Central Nagpur has also enjoyed repeated representation, with Praveen Datke, Dayashankar Tiwari, Deorao Umredkar and Archana Dehankar occupying the post at different times. Maya Iwnate represented West Nagpur as mayor. In contrast, South, North and East Nagpur have not seen a mayor in the recent past, fuelling speculation that the party may turn its attention towards these constituencies.
While the mayor’s role is largely ceremonial, the office carries significant symbolic importance, conferring the status of First Citizen of Nagpur along with protocol privileges and political visibility.
Nagpur has previously been led by seven women mayors, Kudatai Vijaykar (1996–97), Kalpana Pande (1999–2000), Vasundhara Masurkar (2000–01), Pushpa Ghode (2001–02), Maya Iwnate (2007–09), Archana Dehankar (2009–12) and Nanda Jichkar (2017–19). The city’s last mayor was BJP’s Dayashankar Tiwari (2021–22), after which the elected NMC body was dissolved and civic administration was handed over to an administrator.
As the countdown begins, Nagpur watches closely, waiting to see which woman will next don the mayoral mantle and write her name into the city’s political history.
