Scorpio To Innova: Inside BMC's Rs 1.5 Crore Fleet Upgrade For 'Greater Comfort' Of 6 Officials

Weeks after deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi sought a civic bungalow in Byculla over his long Dahisar commute, the BMC is planning to replace his and five other elected office-bearers’ Mahindra Scorpio-N SUVs with Toyota Innova Crystas, at a proposed cost of Rs 1.5 crore, for what it calls “greater comfort.”

The proposal covers Ghadi, leader of the House Ganesh Khankar (BJP), leader of the opposition Kishori Pednekar (Shiv Sena UBT), standing committee chairperson Prabhakar Shinde (BJP), education committee head Rajeshree Shirwadkar (BJP), and improvement committee chief Sandhya Doshi (Shiv Sena).

A Toyota Innova Crysta costs Rs 25-35 lakh against up to Rs 30 lakh for the Scorpio-N currently in use.

According to a report by Times of India, the move follows

the BMC’s earlier allotment of Toyota Innova Hycross hybrids — costing up to Rs 40 lakh — to mayor Ritu Tawde and additional municipal commissioners.

Why Is BMC Defending The Switch?

Mayor Tawde said several committee chairpersons commute from far suburbs such as Dahisar, Kandivli and Borivli, and that “no separate tender” is being floated — the office-bearers have simply asked for a different vehicle type than what’s currently provided.

Did All Six Actually Ask For New Cars?

Not everyone agrees. Pednekar said she made no such demand: she was given a new vehicle earlier this year when appointed leader of the opposition and sees “no need to change it.”

Tawde countered that Pednekar had earlier agreed to the replacement but has since reversed her position — an account Pednekar’s statement directly contradicts. Khankar, meanwhile, confirmed the demand was raised collectively at a group leaders’ meeting.

Will This Cost The BMC Extra?

A BMC official denied any additional expenditure, saying the Scorpios — originally purchased for a five-year term and split between committee heads and ward officers — will be reassigned to ward-level officials still using older vehicles after some missed out on the earlier round of new cars.

Currently, BMC chief Ashwini Bhide is the only official using an electric vehicle.

Official	Position / Party	Current Vehicle	Proposed/Allotted Vehicle	Price Range	Notes
Sanjay Ghadi	Deputy Mayor, Shiv Sena	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	Sought Byculla bungalow over commute
Ganesh Khankar	Leader of House, BJP	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	Confirms demand raised at group leaders’ meeting
Kishori Pednekar	Leader of Opposition, Shiv Sena (UBT)	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	Denies requesting replacement — disputes Tawde’s account
Prabhakar Shinde	Standing Committee Chair, BJP	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	—
Rajeshree Shirwadkar	Education Committee Head, BJP	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	—
Sandhya Doshi	Improvement Committee Chief, Shiv Sena	Mahindra Scorpio-N	Toyota Innova Crysta	₹25–35 lakh	—
Ritu Tawde	Mayor	—	Toyota Innova Hycross (hybrid)	Up to ₹40 lakh	Already allotted, separate from this proposal
Additional Municipal Commissioners	—	—	Toyota Innova Hycross (hybrid)	Up to ₹40 lakh	Already allotted, separate from this proposal
Ashwini Bhide	BMC Chief	Electric vehicle	—	—	Only official currently on an EV