Mumbai, Nov 1 (PTI) The upcoming Maharashtra polls will test the Shiv Sena’s hegemony in Mumbai’s Mahim constituency, where MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray is making his electoral debut.

The BJP has added a layer of complexity to what otherwise appears to be a three-way contest involving Amit Thackeray, Shiv Sena’s sitting MP Sada Sarvankar, and Mahesh Sawant, nominated by rival Shiv Sena (UBT).

The Mahim constituency, which saw the birth of the undivided Shiv Sena (1966) and then the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2006, is located in the heart of the city, stretching from Century Bazar in Prabhadevi to Mahim Koliwada.

It is also dotted with monuments such as Siddhivinayak Temple, Portuguese Church, Mahim Church, Citylight Cinema, Mahim Dargah and Sena Bhavan, now the Sena (UBT) headquarters, and is home to upper caste voters white-collar, traditionally anti-Congress.

Even though voters in Mahim have mostly sided with the Shiv Sena in the past, Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to align with the Congress as a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has disrupted this equation, said a political observer. They also feel that Uddhav has abandoned the Marathi and Hindutva agenda, he said.

Sena (UBT) candidate Anil Desai won the South Central Mumbai Lok Sabha seat covering Mahim assembly segment, but Shiv Sena candidate Rahul Shewale secured 13,990 votes more than the eventual winner here.

In the 2009 parliamentary elections, Nitin Sardesai of MNS won from Mahim with 48,734 votes. The party’s Sandeep Deshpande polled 42,690 votes in 2014 and lost to Sarvankar. In 2019, Sardesai lost to Sarvankar but polled 40,350 people.

The figures indicate a support base of at least 30,000 voters for Amit Thackeray, who could benefit from tacit support from the BJP, an observer said. There is also resentment against Sena (UBT) in this constituency dominated by Marathi-speaking population, he said.

In this context, 32-year-old Amit Thackeray may get an opportunity to write a story of MNS victory here, as the Eknath Shinde-led outfit does not have a formidable base after the acrimonious split in the party founded by Bal Thackeray in 2022.

Today’s Shiv Sena depends on the BJP in Mahim, he said. There is enormous pressure on Sarvankar to withdraw from the race, but he has remained indifferent so far, sources said. The last day for withdrawal of applications is November 4.

The BJP’s support for the MNS could also have a cascading effect in neighboring Worli constituencies, which will witness a high-profile battle between sitting MP and former minister Aaditya Thackeray of Sena (UBT) and Milind Deora of Shiv Sena, and Shivadi , said an observer.

The BJP’s move may encourage MNS supporters to support Deora in Worli knowing that their candidate Sandeep Deshpande will not be able to defeat Aaditya Thackeray, the political observer said.

In Shivadi, MNS’s Bala Nandgaonkar could get votes from BJP supporters, posing a formidable challenge to Sena (UBT) candidate Ajay Chaudhari, who could also face the wrath of disgruntled voters of the mainstream Sena, a he declared.

Mahim has 2,25,373 voters, including 1,12,638 males, 1,12,657 females and 78 belonging to the third gender.

Raj Thackeray is also a resident of Mahim assembly segment. Congress has a few votes in this seat. Notably, the MNS chief had campaigned against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but changed his stance later.

The Congress also enjoys some support in Mahim. Its candidate Pravin Naik had received 15,246 votes in 2019.

Former MNS MP Nitin Sardesai said only the media continues to talk about BJP’s support for Amit Thackeray. “There is no official communication with us. We are campaigning intensively and getting a very good response,” he said.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23. PTI MR NR

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