- Ashwini Bhide, 1995-batch IAS officer, to become first woman BMC commissioner
- She has an MBA, postgraduate English degree, and topped among women in UPSC exam
- Bhide managed Mumbai Metro Rail Corp and worked during Covid as BMC Additional Commissioner
Ashwini Bhide, a 1995-batch IAS officer, is set to take over as the first woman commissioner of Mumbai's civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Bhide will take over from incumbent Bhushan Gagrani, who retires today after a two-year term as the civic body's chief.
Who Is Ashwini Bhide
Born in Maharashtra's Sangli district, Ashwini Bhide is a 1995-batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service. She achieved an All India Rank 9 in the recruitment exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and topped among women candidates.
Bhide holds a postgraduate degree in English literature and an MBA.
The first assignment in her career as a bureaucrat was as an assistant collector of Kolhapur. She later helmed the Zila Parishads in Sindhudurg and Nagpur as CEO and was noticed for her work in the fields of water management and rural development. Later, Bhide worked as the Deputy Secretary to the Governor before her stint as Additional Metropolitan Commissioner with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
She worked as BMC's Additional Commissioner during the Covid-19 pandemic and her work in contact teaching and health system management earned praise.
Mumbai's 'Metro Woman'
Bhide worked as the managing director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited between 2015 and 2020, playing a decisive role in implementing the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ line. For a densely populated city like Mumbai, implementing an underground rail project has many challenges, including environmental concerns.
Bhide had strongly defended the construction of the Metro car shed in Aarey, considered the Maximum City's green lung. She is currently working as Additional Chief Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office and is known to be a trusted bureaucrat of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Who Chose Her For BMC Top Post
According to sources, senior IAS officers Sanjay Mukherjee, Aseem Gupta and Bhide were being seen as frontrunners for the BMC top post. While Fadnavis pushed for Bhide, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was keen on Gupta, the sources said. An agreement on Bhide's appointment was reached during a meeting between Fadnavis and Shinde at the Chief Minister's Varsha bungalow. The appointment of Bhide is being discussed in administrative circles as she will supersede other senior IAS officers for the top job.
A Perception Move
The move to appoint Bhide is also being seen as messaging by the Mahayuti alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. The coalition earlier appointed Rashmi Shukla as the state police chief and Sujata Saunik as the Chief Secretary. The choice of Ashwini Bhide as BMC commissioner is yet another move to put women officers in top administrative positions.
