Mumbai: After 25 years, the BJP will lead the powerful Standing Committee of the BMC. Senior corporator Prabhakar Shinde will become the first BJP leader to chair the key statutory panel that controls financial decisions of one of India’s richest municipal corporations. He was elected unopposed after Shiv Sena (UBT) chose not to contest the post.
Power Centre of BMC
In the power structure of the BMC, real authority lies not merely in the general body but in its 26-member Standing Committee, which exercises sweeping control over the corporation’s finances and urban development agenda. Despite partnering with the ruling undivided Shiv Sena for 25 years, the BJP never chaired the key Standing Committee. Following the BJP-Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the 2026 civic elections, the BJP assumed the committee’s chairmanship, while the Improvement Committee was given to Shinde Sena.
Shinde’s Political Journey
Senior BJP corporator Prabhakar Shinde has been elected the 81st Chairman of the BMC Standing Committee. In the 2017 elections, he left Shiv Sena to join the BJP, winning the Mulund constituency and serving as the party’s group leader. After a four-year hiatus in civic polls, he contested again on January 15, 2026, securing a decisive victory. This time, fortune favored him politically: with Shiv Sena (UBT) not fielding a candidate, Shinde was elected Standing Committee Chairman unopposed, an outcome formally announced by Mayor Ritu Tawde.
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Focus on Urban Issues
During his speech, Shinde urged the municipal administration to safeguard the city’s rapidly shrinking green spaces amid fast urbanization, rising pollution, and declining biodiversity by protecting native trees and aquatic plants in wetlands and implementing anti-pollution measures. He also recommended including high-quality medicines from reputed companies in the municipal hospital formulary to ensure timely and proper treatment for patients. Additionally, with metro construction causing traffic congestion, he suggested installing digital signboards on city roads to provide real-time information on traffic conditions, road closures, and construction zones to assist commuters.
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