North Mumbai's political arena has witnessed a significant upheaval before the upcoming BMC elections. On Monday, Tejaswi Ghosalkar, former BMC councilor and a leader from Shiv Sena (UBT), officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Tejaswi is the wife of the late former councilor Abhishek Ghosalkar, who was tragically shot dead during a Facebook Live session last year. She formally became a part of BJP during an event held at 10 AM at the BJP Mumbai office.
Previously active in Shiv Sena (UBT), there were speculations about her joining the Shinde faction. The Ghosalkar family holds significant influence in North Mumbai's political circles.
Tejaswi's father-in-law, Vinod Ghosalkar, a senior leader in Shiv Sena (UBT) and former legislator, has long-standing ties with the Thackeray family dating back to Balasaheb Thackeray's era.
Tejaswi's move to the BJP is seen as a major setback for Shiv Sena (UBT) in regions like Dahisar and Magathane. It is believed that this could provide a direct political advantage to BJP in the BMC elections.
It should be noted that BMC elections are anticipated to be held eight years from now, in January 2026. The Supreme Court has instructed the state election commission to complete all local body elections by January 31, 2026. The estimated budget for BMC for 2025-26 is 74,427 crore rupees, making it Asia's richest municipal corporation.
