Newsmaker | Aaditya Thackeray’s cousin, Uddhav Sena’s pick for a high-profile seat: Who is Varun Sardesai?

The Yuva Sena person could look a stiff situation if Zeeshan decides to contention arsenic helium volition past garner sympathy votes due to the fact that of the caller execution of his begetter and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) person Baba Siddique. The Congress precocious expelled Zeeshan and helium is expected to power to the Ajit Pawar-led enactment to contention the election.

Just aft the Sena (UBT) named Sardesai arsenic its nominee, Zeeshan deed retired astatine the enactment connected societal media. “Heard that aged friends person announced their campaigner from Bandra East. Staying unneurotic was ne'er successful their nature. Have a narration with lone those who springiness you respect,” helium wrote connected X.

After Shinde loyalists successful the undivided Shiv Sena scuttled his chances of contesting the Kalyan West spot successful 2019, Tuesday’s information makes Sardesai the 2nd subordinate of this procreation of the Thackeray household to instrumentality the governmental plunge aft Aaditya. A civilian technologist by profession, helium has been an integral portion of the Yuva Sena and has rapidly risen done the enactment ranks since 2018, erstwhile helium was appointed its secretary.

Sena (UBT) insiders attributed it to Sardesai’s election-related enactment for the party. He was besides the backroom manager for the Yuva Sena successful the precocious held Mumbai University Senate elections, wherever the enactment won each 10 seats.

A conception of enactment leaders claimed Sardesai’s emergence arsenic a person was besides due to the fact that helium was the look of galore Yuva Sena protests. He was astatine the forefront of the April 2022 protestation extracurricular the location of past MP Navneet Rana and her husband, BJP MLA Ravi Rana, aft the mates threatened to chant the Hanuman Chalisa extracurricular Matoshree. Following the protest, the mates was forced to retreat the challenge. Sardesai besides led a protestation extracurricular Union Minister Narayan Rane’s residence successful Mumbai successful August 2021 implicit his objectionable remarks against Uddhav Thackeray.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Sardesai extensively campaigned for enactment candidates portion besides handling information collation and different related works.

“Be it the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections successful 2017, Mumbai University Senate polls successful 2018 oregon the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls the pursuing year, helium (Sardesai) has been micromanaging the party’s campaign. Despite having roots successful Matoshree, helium is simply a grassroots person and remains connected the crushed with the cadre. This highlights his enactment qualities. He has a agelong mode to spell successful authorities and helium volition surely win,” said a Sena (UBT) leader.

Sardesai is besides credited with driving the Sena (UBT)’s societal media strategy against rivals, including the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Bandra East was 1 of the constituencies that emerged arsenic a bony of contention betwixt the Congress and Sena (UBT) during seat-sharing talks, with the erstwhile staking a assertion connected it citing its 2019 win. “We person exchanged seats and got Chandivali successful return,” said Leader of the Opposition successful the Assembly and Congress person Vijay Waddetiwar.