The stir has intensified regarding the appointment of a new commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) before the scheduled retirement of current commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on March 31. Everyone's eyes are on who will be the new commissioner of this municipal corporation, which is considered the richest in the country.
According to a senior cabinet minister, the chances of Bhushan Gagrani getting extension in service are slim. He told that Gagrani's successor can be announced today (Monday, March 31) late in the evening or on Tuesday. However, the final decision will be taken by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
At present, an important meeting of CM Fadnavis is going on with ministers and officials. According to sources, names of four senior IAS officers are in discussion for the post of new BMC Commissioner. These include the names of Ashwini Bhide, Sanjay Mukherjee, Aseem Gupta and Milind Mhaiskar.
If Ashwini Bhide is appointed to the post of Commissioner, she will become the first woman Commissioner of BMC. Bhide, a 1995 batch IAS officer, is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Chief Minister's Office and is also the Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL). He has led big infrastructure projects like Metro Line-3 and played an important role in the Coastal Road project while being Additional Commissioner in BMC. If he is appointed, he can get a full tenure of three years till his retirement in 2030.
Whereas, 1996 batch IAS officer Sanjay Mukherjee is currently the Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA. He is known as Infrastructure Man. He has led big projects like Atal Setu, metro projects, many flyovers and bridges. While being Additional Commissioner in BMC, he also handled important tasks related to water supply.
Talking about Aseem Gupta, he is a 1994 batch IAS officer. Presently he is working as Additional Chief Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Along with this, he also has the responsibility of Urban Development and Housing Department.
On the other hand, Milind Mhaiskar, who is currently Additional Chief Secretary in the Public Works and Forest Department, has not been working in BMC before, but on the basis of administrative experience, he is also considered a contender.
Bhushan Gagrani was appointed BMC Commissioner in March 2024. In recent times, the Mahayuti government has given priority to women in the top administrative posts of the state. Earlier, Rashmi Shukla became the first woman DGP of Maharashtra (from January 2024 to January 3, 2025) and Sujata Saunik became the first woman Chief Secretary of the state from 2024 to June 2025. In such a situation, now everyone's eyes are on whether Mumbai will get the first woman BMC Commissioner or the government will give this responsibility to some other officer.
