In a significant development ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the political landscape of Mumbai witnessed a major shift as Rakhee Jadhav, the Mumbai president of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), switched sides to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, December 29, 2025.
A Strategic Defection Ahead of Civic Polls
The move comes just three days after Prashant Jagtap, the Pune city chief of NCP (SP), left the party to join the Congress. Jadhav's defection is seen as a significant blow to the Sharad Pawar camp, especially with the BMC polls scheduled for January 15, 2026, and results to be declared the following day.
Sources indicate that Jadhav's decision was influenced by discontent within the party over seat-sharing negotiations for the upcoming civic elections. The NCP (SP) had reportedly sought at least 30 seats in the BMC. However, the alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) offered the party only 5 to 10 seats, a proposal that left many leaders, including Jadhav, upset.
Jadhav's Political Journey and Likely Candidature
Rakhee Jadhav has a considerable political history in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area. She is likely to contest from Ward Number 131 (Ghatkopar) in the 2026 BMC elections, a ward she previously represented in 2017 as a corporator from the undivided NCP.
Her political appointment came during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government when she was made the Mumbai chief of the undivided NCP following the arrest of senior leader Nawab Malik. Jadhav remained loyal to Sharad Pawar after the party split triggered by Ajit Pawar's rebellion in 2023. She even contested the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections against BJP's sitting MLA, Parag Shah, from the Ghatkopar East constituency.
A Pattern of Exits from NCP (SP)
Jadhav is not the first prominent leader from the party's Mumbai unit to exit recently. Before her, several other leaders had already joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction, which is in alliance with the BJP. This list includes:
- Former corporator Dhananjay Pisal
- Party leader Manish Dubey
- General secretary Ashok Panchal
The exodus highlights the ongoing churn within Maharashtra's opposition ranks, particularly as local body elections approach. The situation in Pune mirrored Mumbai's, where Prashant Jagtap quit the NCP (SP) last week after the party decided to ally with Ajit Pawar's NCP for the Pune Municipal Corporation polls. Jagtap had opposed joining hands with Ajit Pawar, a key BJP ally at both the state and central levels.
Implications for the 2026 BMC Battle
Jadhav's induction into the BJP is a strategic gain for the party, which is aiming to strengthen its position in Mumbai's civic body. Her local influence in Ghatkopar could prove valuable in a direct electoral contest. For the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, losing its Mumbai chief to the principal rival just weeks before the election is a substantial setback, potentially affecting its morale and ground-level organization in the financial capital.
The BMC elections in 2026 are poised to be a fiercely contested battle, with major political realignments shaping the strategies of all involved parties. Rakhee Jadhav's switch underscores the intense negotiations and volatile loyalties that characterize Mumbai's politics in the run-up to the civic polls.
