Mumbai set to get woman mayor from general category after draw of lots

Mumbai's next mayor will be a woman from the general category, as per a lottery conducted by the Maharashtra Urban Development Department, news agency PTI reported on Thursday citing officials.

The lottery determines the category for which the mayor's post will be reserved, such as general, women, SC, ST, and OBC categories. Once the category is announced, eligible candidates file their nominations.

The procedure was, however, opposed by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, who claimed that the rules to arrive at this decision were changed without informing anyone.

Pednekar said the last two mayors of Mumbai were from the general category, and asserted that the new mayor should have been from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

"We condemn the way the procedure (of lottery) was conducted," Pednekar was quoted as saying by PTI.

Elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra were held on January 15, and the Maha Yuti alliance swept the polls.

(This is a developing story. Check back for updates)