The Battle for Bombay: Big names, Sena sweepstakes fire up 36 seats

In the Lok Sabha polls, the Sena (UBT) had finished ahead, winning 2 of the 3 seats it contested, with the Shinde Sena bagging conscionable 1 constituency of its stock of three, that excessively by a precise bladed borderline of 47 votes. The 2 had contested successful 3 seats against each other.

Of the full six Lok Sabha constituencies covering Mumbai and its suburbs, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) had won four.

In the November 20 polls, the Sena (UBT) is contesting 22 of the 36 seats falling successful Mumbai and suburbs, comprising the lion’s stock successful the MVA. Allies Congress and NCP (SP) are contesting 11 and 3 seats, respectively.

The Shinde Sena is contesting comparatively acold less seats, astatine 15. It is the BJP that is contesting the astir seats successful the Mahayuti formulation, astatine 18. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is contesting 3 seats, the aforesaid fig arsenic the NCP (SP).

In 11 seats, the 2 Senas volition look disconnected against each other, portion successful nine, the Sena (UBT) volition look the BJP, its erstwhile ally.

The BJP and Congress are up against each different successful 7 of the 36 seats.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, the undivided Shiv Sena had contested 19 seats successful an confederation with the BJP and won 14. The BJP had won 16. The Congress had contested 29 seats successful confederation with the undivided NCP and won four. The NCP had contested six seats and won one.

A Shinde Sena person said that the caller Lok Sabha communicative won’t play retired successful Wednesday’s polling. “The concern has changed. In the Lok Sabha polls, the fake communicative and ballot jihad helped the Sena (UBT). But this clip radical are successful our favour owing to the improvement enactment and payment schemes started by CM Shinde,” the Sena person said, implying that the MVA got the Muslim votes arsenic good arsenic those of the Scheduled Castes by claiming “threat” to the Constitution from the Modi government.

Aside from “development”, the Mahayuti is banking connected Hindutva and payment schemes specified arsenic the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The MVA’s main plank successful Mumbai is absorption to the Dharavi redevelopment task awarded to the Adani Group, isolated from “deteriorating” instrumentality and order, corruption, unemployment and the assistance of mega concern concern projects to Gujarat “at the outgo of” Maharashtra.

Apart from the six main parties – the 2 Senas, the 2 NCPs and the BJP and Congress – determination are smaller parties specified arsenic the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), positive Independents and rebels, successful the contest, making the combat multi-corner successful respective seats.

For the Raj Thackeray-led MNS, which has struggled to marque immoderate impact, the polls connection different accidental for redemption. What it whitethorn extremity up arsenic is simply a spoiler, taking distant capable votes to wounded rival candidates. As an offshoot of the archetypal Sena, the MNS competes for the aforesaid ballot bank.

* The large fights

Of the 11 seats successful which the 2 Senas are clashing, the astir precocious illustration is Worli, from wherever Uddhav Thackeray’s lad Aaditya is seeking re-election. His rival is Milind Deora, the erstwhile Congress luminary who is present a Shinde Sena Rajya Sabha MP and contesting his archetypal Assembly election.

In Bandra East, Aaditya’s maternal relative Varun Sardesai is making his electoral debut and facing NCP campaigner and incumbent MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui. The contention is successful the limelight pursuing the sidesplitting of Zeeshan’s begetter Baba Siddiqui allegedly by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. For the Sena (UBT), Bandra East has peculiar value since the Thackeray residence Matoshree falls successful the constituency.

Another absorbing combat is successful Mahim, from wherever different Thackeray scion – MNS main Raj Thackeray’s lad Amit – is making his debut. Also successful the contention are the Shinde Sena’s Sada Sarvankar and Sena (UBT)’s Mahesh Sawant. With the Sena (UBT)’s office located successful the constituency, this is different spot the enactment volition privation to win.

Similarly, successful neighbouring Worli, the 2 Senas person an further contestant successful the MNS’s Sandeep Deshpande.

* The large contestants

Among the salient faces successful the contention successful the 36 Assembly seats are BJP curate and builder Mangal Prabhat Lodha (Malabar Hill seat), outgoing Speaker and BJP campaigner Rahul Narvekar (Colaba), Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad’s sister Jyoti (Dharavi), Congress-turned-Sena person Sanjay Nirupam (Dindoshi), the BJP’s Shaina N C contesting connected the Sena summons (Mumbadevi), and NCP MLA Nawab Malik and girl Sana (Shivaji Nagar-Mankhurd and Anushakti Nagar, respectively).

With the BJP declaring it won’t enactment Malik, owed to his alleged Dawood links, Malik faces an uphill battle. Plus, his hostile is the formidable Samajwadi Party person Abu Azmi.

Who is warring whom

Sena (UBT) vs Shinde Sena: 11

Sena (UBT) vs BJP: 9

BJP vs Cong: 8

BJP vs NCP (SP): 2

Shinde Sena vs Congress: 2

NCP (SP) vs Ajit Pawar NCP: 1

Sena (UBT) vs Ajit Pawar NCP: 1

* In Sewree seat, Mahayuti has not fielded a candidate; successful Shivaji Nagar-Mankhurd, SP’s Abu Azmi is contesting connected behalf of MVA