Uncle Raj Thackeray’s Party Presents a Potential Challenge for Aaditya Thackeray in the Worli Seat

Mumbai:

With the margin of Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate decreasing to under 7,000 in Worli in the recent Lok Sabha polls, the MNS senses a chance and is expected to nominate Sandeep Deshpande from this legislative seat currently held by Aaditya Thackeray.

Home to some of India’s wealthiest residents, Worli, part of Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, is characterized by tall buildings and thriving business centers. However, it also includes run-down chawls waiting for redevelopment, such as the BDD chawls and police colonies.

Several slum rehabilitation projects are halted, and some renovated buildings have not delivered the promised monthly rentals to residents.

On Saturday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to discuss problems affecting Worli. The meeting is important, given the emphasis on Worli-related issues.

Following the meeting, Mr Shinde instructed officials to prioritize addressing Worli’s problems, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.

MNS leader Mr Deshpande has been actively connecting with Worli residents addressing their issues.

Notably, the MNS did not nominate a candidate from Worli in the 2019 legislative polls as Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, was competing in his first election.

Aaditya, the primary Thackeray to participate in electoral politics, triumphed by a margin of 62,247 votes, encountering no significant opposition.

Despite the Shiv Sena (UBT) triumph, the Worli legislative segment witnessed a considerable decline in margin during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with party candidate Arvind Sawant leading by only 6,715 votes, the least in four of the six legislative constituencies under Mumbai South where he outperformed his Shiv Sena opponent.

The MNS now perceives a potential opportunity. It is uncertain whether the governing alliance or the MNS will run together. The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Shinde and the ruling BJP are arranging events in Worli to reinforce their presence.

“In 2017 municipal corporation polls, we (MNS) secured around 30,000 to 33,000 votes from Worli. We have voters devoted to MNS in this constituency,” Mr Deshpande told PTI.

The MNS asserted Aaditya Thackeray-the second in command in the Shiv Sena (UBT) hierarchy after his father Uddhav Thackeray-is not reachable to the common people who require a hands-on MLA.

“The issue is accessibility here. People require an MLA who is reachable, which is not the case with the incumbent MLA,” Mr Deshpande said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Sunil Shinde acknowledged the “unexpected drop” in the lead of his party candidate during the Lok Sabha polls, attributing it to overconfidence but expressed confidence of Aaditya Thackeray’s return to the fray in the upcoming legislative elections.

“The drop in the lead does not mean that people were upset with us. Our candidate was far superior to our rival (Shiv Sena’s Yamini Jadhav). But in the Lok Sabha polls, it was the Modi factor. We did not receive the anticipated response from tall buildings,” he claimed.

The MLC mentioned that in a three-way contest, the MNS might take away votes from Sena (UBT), but only approximately 2,500.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has a strong strategy to attract voters to the polling stations on election day, he added.

Elections to the 288 legislative seats in Maharashtra are anticipated in October this year. Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban district collectively send 36 MLAs to the state assembly.