Ashwini Bhide makes history as the first female commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) – the largest municipal corporation in India. A qualified IAS officer of the 1995 batch, she has been in charge since Tuesday, and she will lead the organization after Bhushan Gagrani retired that same day.
As an IAS officer, her appointment as Commissioner of Mumbai’s municipal body is of great administrative and symbolic importance as elections were held in Mumbai for the first time in four years after a period of no elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the newly elected BMC will include members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena who supported the BJP’s ascent to power in the civic body after it had been in opposition.
Furthermore, Ashwini Bhide has earned a reputation for her significant contributions to Mumbai by spearheading the Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Aqua Line) project, which has made her known as ‘Metro Woman of Mumbai.’ She oversees large infrastructure projects that provide a reputation for efficiency in her ability to manage teams and deliver results on time and within budget.
Before her recent appointment, she was serving in her previous role as additional chief secretary of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO); in addition to this appointment, she will continue to be additional chief secretary of MMRC, managing the construction and expansion of metro facilities throughout the city while managing the development of those facilities. After Ashwini Bhide takes her new role in providing leadership to BMC, Lokesh Chandra, chairman and managing director of Mahavitaran, will take over her prior CMO responsibilities.