These days, there is a fight between political parties regarding the distribution of tickets for the assembly elections in Maharashtra. Political parties are distributing tickets keeping all equations in mind. Amidst all this, there is one seat in the state where three forces i.e. Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena UBT and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are standing face to face. We are talking about Mahim’s headquarters in central Mumbai, from where Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray, has been sent.
Amit will be the third person from the Thackeray family to contest the elections. His father, MNS chief Raj Thackeray, has never participated in any election. With the announcement of Amit Thackeray’s name, a triangular contest situation has emerged in Mahim assembly constituency. With the entry of another new crop of Thackerays into the electoral fray, MNS seems to be facing a tough challenge from Shinde Sena’s Mahesh Sawant and Uddhav Sena’s Mahesh Sawant.
When Raj did not field a candidate against Aditya Thackeray
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Amit’s cousin Aditya Thackeray had won the Worli seat adjacent to Mahim in the 2019 assembly elections. After becoming Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Uddhav Thackeray himself was elected to the Legislative Council in 2020. Both Shiv Sena UBT and Shinde Shiv Sena fielded their candidates against Amit Thackeray, while Raj Thackeray extended unwavering support to Aaditya Thackeray during the 2019 elections.
Also Read: Maharashtra Elections: MNS releases third list, announces 13 candidates
Amit said: people will decide the future
However, Amit Thackeray said that he is not worried about his opponents as his father gave him the opportunity to contest the elections and people will decide his fate. He said no one can fight alone, there must be competition. Also, senior MNS leader and candidate from Sewri assembly constituency Bala Nandgaonkar said that Raj Thackeray is a person with a big heart. There are no people like that left in today’s politics. He said Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray have announced their candidates and we have taken our decision, now let the people decide.
(Amit Thackeray with his father Raj Thackeray)
Mahim is Shiv Sena stronghold – Raut
MP and UBT Sena leader Sanjay Raut clarified that Dadar-Mahim seat has been a stronghold of Shiv Sena. Therefore, the question of not standing for election for this seat does not arise. UBT spokesperson Anand Dubey said the generous Raj Thackeray always committed to his candidates in the previous elections.
Let’s take a look at the voting pattern in Dadar-Mahim constituencies in the last assembly elections:
2009
-Nitin Sardesai of MNS – 48,734
-Sada K Saravankar Congress – 39,808
-Shiv Sena’s Adesh Bandekar – 36,364
2014
-Shiv Sena’s Sada Saravankar – 46,291
-Nitin Sardesai of MNS – 40,350
-BJP’s Vilas Ambekar – 33,446
Also read: Maharashtra elections: Uddhav Thackeray gave ticket to his nephew, whom Eknath Shinde considers his political guru.
2019
-Shiv Sena’s Sada Saravankar – 61,337
-Sandeep Deshpande of MNS – 42,690
-Praveen Naik of Congress – 15,246
Interestingly, the MNS only managed to win once in 2009, when Shiv Sena MLA Sada Saravankar joined the Congress, splitting the Marathi vote bank and MNS’s Nitin Sardesai won here.
