BJP picked Ritu Tawde as Mumbai Mayor due to Marathi backing for Sena (UBT) and MNS: Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday (February 8, 2026) claimed the BJP was forced to choose a Marathi mayor for Mumbai due to the overwhelming support of Marathi people to his party and the MNS in the BMC polls.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Raut also took a dig at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after actor Salman Khan was seen interacting with its chief Mohan Bhagwat here on Saturday (February 7, 2026) at an event to mark the RSS's centenary.

"Was it a welcome for Bollywood star Salman Khan or (a message that) Muslims are also welcome in the Sangh and its shakhas?" the Rajya Sabha member asked. Mr. Bhagwat should have clarified about it because of the way Hindu-Muslim hatred and vindictive propaganda is being spread and the Sangh is also part of it, he charged.

On the BJP fielding Ritu Tawde (53) for the Mumbai mayor's post, Mr. Raut said she is originally from the Congress. The BJP does not have anything original of its own, he claimed. "The way Marathi people overwhelmingly voted for the Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS, the BJP had to make a Marathi mayor in Mumbai," he stated.

Ms. Tawde is all set to become Mumbai's mayor and the party's first in four decades after Sena (UBT) decided against fielding a challenger, making the contest unopposed and ending the Thackeray family’s 25-year dominance over the richest civic body. The Mumbai mayoral election is scheduled for February 11, which is the last day to withdraw the nominations.

The Sena (UBT) had raised the emotive "Marathi identity" plank in last month's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, where the party had allied with MNS. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 227-member BMC by bagging 89 seats, while its ally Shiv Sena won 29 seats. In the Opposition camp, the Sena (UBT) secured 65 seats, while its allies, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) won six and one seat, respectively.