Among them was Mumbai’s 78th Mayor, Ritu Tawde, who walked in with a saffron turban, draped in a saffron sari. Ms. Tawde, 53, became the second BJP mayor and the eighth woman mayor of South Asia’s richest civic body. The party is acutely aware that it will have to struggle with an administrative system which had been controlled by another party (Shiv Sena UBT) for decades. Ms. Tawde headed the Education Committee during her last term. BJP MLC Prasad Lad, who has known Ms. Tawde for over a decade, praised her for her work during COVID.

Source: The Hindu February 15, 2026 09:18 UTC