Fact Check: Ritu Tawde the first BJP mayor of Mumbai? No, here’s who it actually was
A viral post claims that newly elected Ritu Tawde is the first BJP mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
By - Rahul Adhikari
Claim:Ritu Tawde has become the first BJP mayor of the Mumbai municipal corporation.
Fact:False. The first BJP mayor of Mumbai was Dr Prabhakar Sanjiv Pai, elected in 1982.
Hyderabad: Ritu Tawde of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been elected as the 78th Mayor of Mumbai and took charge on February 11.
After she assumed office, a post surfaced on social media claiming that she is the first BJP mayor of Mumbai. Several users shared the post on Facebook and wrote, “BJP's Ritu Tawade becomes first BJP Mayor of Mumbai. Bhagwa Wave in BMC!!” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. Dr Prabhakar Sanjiv Pai was the first BJP mayor of Mumbai and was elected in 1982.
A relevant keyword search led us to a news report published by The Indian Express on January 21, which revealed that Tawde is not the first BJP mayor of Mumbai. The title read, ‘BJP’s mayoral bid recalls lone mayor 40 years ago’.
According to the report, Dr Prabhakar Sanjiv Pai was elected as the mayor of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 1982, then called the Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay, making him the first BJP leader to hold the post.
Dr Prabhakar Sanjiv Pai’s term as BJP mayor
Pai was the leader of the BJP in the corporation after the party was formally founded in 1980. The party won 83 out of 140 seats in the corporation polls, defeating Congress and Shiv Sena. Pai held the mayoral position for a short period from 1982 to 1983.
Dr Pai is listed as the mayor of the municipal corporation from 1982 to 1983 on the BMC's official website.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the claim is false.
Who was Sanjiv Pai?
According to a report from the Deccan Herald, dated January 19, Dr Prabhakar Sanjiv Pai hailed from Barkur in the Udupi district of Karnataka and later moved to Mumbai. He was active in municipal politics and social work throughout his life. From 1982-83, Dr Prabhakar Pai of the BJP was the Mayor of Bombay, as the metropolis was then called. He began his political career with the Congress and later joined the BJP.
