Reservation draw for post of Mayor of Amravati was held on Thursday according to which the seat has been reserved for General category. With this announcement, it has become clear that the election for 17th Mayor of Amravati will witness keen contest. As no party secured a clear majority in the recently held Municipal Corporation polls, intense political negotiations and alliance building are currently underway to form the ruling body. The process for electing Mayor is expected to begin soon and the reservation decision has heightened curiosity about who will ultimately secure the prestigious post. It may be noted that BJP emerged as the single largest party with 25 seats in the AMC. It was followed by Congress and Yuva Swabhiman Party (YSP), both securing 15 seats each. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen Party (AIMIM) got 12 seats, Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) got 11, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and Bahujan Samaj Party won 3 seats each while Shiv Sena (UBT) got 2 and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi 1 seat. A strength of 44 councillors is needed to claim the Mayor’s post in the 87-member Municipal Corporation. Although no party has an absolute majority, political observers believe that a BJP-led alliance with YSP and others would emerge to stake claim on the top post in the AMC. Meanwhile, selecting a suitable candidate will be a major challenge for all political parties. BJP has taken lead in efforts to stake claim, MLA Ravi Rana, President of YSP, has already predicted that the next Mayor of Amravati would be from BJP and would enjoy his party’s support. This has intensified the competition among BJP corporators aspiring for the post. With alliances taking shape, political activity around the Mayor’s election is expected to accelerate in the coming days, keeping the city's political circles abuzz with anticipation. It may be mentioned here that the first Mayor of Amravati was Dr Devsingh Shekhawat, who assumed office on March 10, 1992. Over the 30 year period from 1992 to March 8, 2022, the city has seen 16 Mayors. Since March 9, 2022, the Municipal Corporation has been under administrative rule. So far, 5 women have served as Mayor. Those who have held the post include Dr Devsingh Shekhawat, Prabhakar Sawwalakhe, Govind Agrawal, Vidya Deshpande, Kiran Mahalle, Pravin Kashikar, Nitin Wankhade, Vilas Ingole, Deepali Gawali, Milind Chimote, Ashok Dongre, Adv. Kishor Shelke, Vandana Kangale, Charanjit Kaur Nanda, Sanjay Narawane and Chetan Gawande.