Mumbai’s woman mayorship: Lottery system and controversy explained

The Maharashtra Urban Development Department (UDD) announced that the next mayor of Mumbai will be a woman from the open category, following the completion of the reservation lottery process. Madhuri Misal, Minister of State for Urban Development, stated that 15 municipal corporations will have women mayors. The UDD used a rotation method to ensure that the position is reserved for another group after the previous mayor was from an open category. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar objected to the placement of Mumbai in the open women category instead of the OBC category, alleging a "fixed" lottery procedure. The UDD maintains that the process followed regulations and that Mumbai's placement in the open category was due to its alphabetical position on the list.