With just 20 days to go for filing of nominations, two of the Mahayuti allies – the BJP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) – are yet to reach a consensus on two crucial seats - Mumbai South and Thane.
For the Mumbai South constituency, earlier the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena wanted to field Bala Nandgaonkar, but backed out and announced unconditional support for the NDA. With both the BJP and Shiv Sena unrelenting, the wait continues.
The contenders from Shinde’s Sena for this prestigious constituency are former Union Minister Milind Deora, who earlier this year joined the party after quitting the Congress, and former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Standing Committee’s chairman and House Leader Yashwant Jadhav. Mr. Jadhav is three-time councillor and had shifted his loyalties from Shiv Sena (UBT) after he came under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner. His wife is an MLA from Byculla area.
Party insiders said if Sena bagged the seat, Mr. Deora is the frontrunner, despite him being elected as Rajya Sabha MP. However, his Rajya Sabha position may become a point for the BJP to eventually keep the seat. In Mr. Jadhav’s case, the ED-tag may make him a less popular choice.
The contenders from the BJP are Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and five-time MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Back in 2016, when he was with the undivided Shiv Sena, Mr. Narwekar was nominated to the Legislative Council. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, on being denied a ticket, he joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and unsuccessfully contested the election. In 2019, he got elected as an MLA from Colaba, a constituency in South Mumbai, and since July 2022 is the Speaker.
Mr. Lodha holds the portfolios of the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in the State and is also Mumbai’s Guardian Minister. He presides over BJP’s Mumbai unit and is one of the richest real estate developers in India. His recent meeting with MNS chief Raj Thackeray has set political circles going abuzz about his possibilities.
Thane, a Shiv Sena stronghold from where Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hails, too has contenders from both parties. The incumbent, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Rajan Vichare, had won by a huge margin. Unsuccessful attempts were made to get Mr. Vichare on to the other side. This Lok Sabha seat includes Pratap Sarnaik’s Assembly constituency. Mr. Sarnaik was among the first 17 MLAs who supported Mr. Shinde’s revolt and went with him to Surat and to Guwahati. He is also under ED’s lens with the agency attaching assets worth Rs 11.35 crore for his alleged involvement in the Rs 5,600-crore National Spot Exchange Limited fraud case.
The BJP seems inclined to field Sanjeev Naik, who was elected MP in 2019 on an NCP ticket. He became the first Mayor of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. His father Ganesh Naik too was with the NCP but quit and joined BJP in 2019.
The Thane Lok Sabha seat comprises six assembly segments – Belapur (represented by Manda Mhatre of the BJP), Airoli (Ganesh Naik, BJP), Thane (Sanjay Kelkar, BJP), Ovala-Majiwada (Pratap Sarnaik, Shiv Sena-Shinde), Kopri-Pachpakhadi (Eknath Shinde) and Mira-Bhayandar (Geeta Jain, Independent supporting the BJP).
The last date of filing nominations for the May 20 election is May 3.
