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2 min readMumbaiMay 13, 2026 10:26 PM IST
BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday accused former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar of irregularities in the leasing of two civic-run sports complexes, alleging that public facilities meant to promote sports and cultural activities were handed over to private contractors and are now being used for wedding functions and commercial events.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday morning, Somaiya alleged that the Kalidas sports complex in Mulund and the Shahaji Raje Bhosale sports complex in Andheri had effectively been ‘mortgaged’ to private agencies during the Shiv Sena (UBT) regime.
According to Somaiya, Pednekar, in her capacity as ex-officio chairperson of the Brihanmumbai Kreeda and Lalitkala Prathisthan, approved a 15-year lease agreement in 2021 for the Kalidas facility. He claimed that the sprawling 20-acre property, spread over nearly nine lakh square feet, had been leased till 2035.
“The trust was established to promote sports, arts and cultural programmes, but the grounds are being commercially exploited for weddings and private ceremonies,” Somaiya alleged, claiming that decorators hosting events at the venue charge as much as Rs 2,000 per plate. He demanded an investigation into the contract and called it illegal.
Somaiya said he has written to current Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde seeking cancellation of the agreement.
The BJP leader said the Brihanmumbai Kreeda and Lalitkala Prathisthan was set up in 1990 to manage facilities such as the Kalidas academy in Mulund and the Shahaji Raje Bhosale complex in Andheri, with the Mumbai mayor serving as the trust’s ex-officio chairperson.
Pednekar declined to comment on the allegations. However, sources close to her said the mayor functions as chairperson of several such trusts and decisions are taken collectively with senior civic officials, including additional municipal commissioners and deputy municipal commissioners who are also part of the administration of these bodies.
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