India, Feb. 8 -- BJP's Ritu Tawde is all set to become the mayor of Mumbai and the party's first in four decades after Shiv 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.

Though largely ceremonial, the mayor's post carries enormous political and symbolic significance in Mumbai's identity-driven politics. Tawde's elevation marks the BJP's return to the post after 44 years, the last being Prabhakar Pai in 1982-83. On the final day of filing nominations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, a BJP ally in the ruling Mahayuti, named Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for deputy mayor. The party announced that the deputy mayor's term would b...