Mumbai to Get Woman Mayor from General Category After Lottery

• Mumbai will have a woman mayor from the general category, as decided by a lottery conducted by the Maharashtra Urban Development Department on Thursday (January 22).
• Former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar of Shiv Sena (UBT) opposed the decision, alleging rule changes without prior notice.
• Pednekar argued that the last two mayors were from the general category, so the new mayor should have been from OBC or ST categories.
• The lottery system determines the reservation category for the mayor's post, including general, women, SC, ST, and OBC.
• The BJP–Shiv Sena alliance took control of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after 25 years, following elections held on January 15.

Why It Matters: Mumbai's next mayor will be a woman from the general category, a decision sparking political debate.