BMC Election 2026: NCP (SP) Mumbai Chief Rakhee Jadhav Switches to BJP, Blow to Sharad Pawar Camp Ahead of BMC Elections
Mumbai, 29th December 2025: In a major political shift ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Rakhee Jadhav, Mumbai president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, dealing a significant setback to the Sharad Pawar-led faction in the state capital.
Jadhav, who remained with the Sharad Pawar faction even after the split in the NCP, was elevated as Mumbai president following the resignation of senior leader Nawab Malik after his arrest. Her move comes at a decisive moment as political parties accelerate preparations for the upcoming civic polls.
The BJP publicly announced her induction through party leader Parag Shah, who shared the development on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle. Welcoming Jadhav into the party, Shah said her entry would strengthen the BJP’s organisational framework and enhance communication with citizens. He described her induction as a positive development for the party’s outreach efforts in Mumbai.
Political observers believe Jadhav’s decision to leave the NCP (SP) was triggered by dissatisfaction over seat-sharing arrangements for the BMC elections. In a recent interview with ABP Majha, Jadhav had indicated that while talks were ongoing to contest the civic polls as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the party was unhappy with the number of seats being offered.
She had argued that NCP (SP) workers had spent years strengthening the party’s presence at the ward level and deserved adequate representation. Although she acknowledged that the Sharad Pawar faction was being treated respectfully within the evolving alliance involving the Thackeray brothers, she maintained that the party was not being offered a fair share of seats.
According to Jadhav, the NCP (SP) was seeking just 15 to 20 seats out of Mumbai’s 227 municipal wards, with discussions also held with the Congress. She had stated that the final call would depend on responses from Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress leadership.
Rakhee Jadhav is a well-known face in Mumbai politics and was elected as a corporator from Ward No. 131 (Ghatkopar East) in the 2017 BMC elections on an NCP ticket. She secured 12,123 votes, defeating candidates from the BJP, the then-undivided Shiv Sena, the Congress, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Her entry into the BJP is expected to bolster the party’s prospects in eastern Mumbai, particularly in the Ghatkopar belt, as the contest for control of the BMC gathers momentum.
