MUMBAI: The BJP on Saturday announced Ghatkopar corporator Ritu Tawde as its mayoral candidate for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The announcement was made by Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam at the civic headquarters, in the presence of senior party leaders and corporators who had gathered for the meeting.Tawde’s name had been doing the rounds, along with that of Sion corporator Rajeshree Shirwadkar, in the run-up to the announcement.Meanwhile, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena named Sanjay Ghadi as its candidate for the post of deputy mayor. The deputy mayor’s term will be for one-and-a-half years.Calling it a “historic moment”, Tawde said she was grateful to the party leadership for entrusting her with the responsibility. Satam said the new dispensation would work towards making Mumbai a corruption-free city, adding that the alliance would govern with the blessings and support of Mumbaikars.Even if the Opposition fields candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the BJP–Shinde-led alliance is confident of winning both positions, backed by its numerical strength of 118 corporators in the 227-member civic House.