Squaring off for Mumbai South: Ex-MP of Sena & MLA from BJP

MUMBAI: Though the Mahayuti (grand alliance) has not announced a seat-sharing formula, candidates from both the BJP and Shiv Sena led by chief minister Eknath Shinde have hit campaign mode for the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat.

BJP’s Rahul Narwekar, who is the Assembly Speaker, has started out by attending events and meetings across the six assembly segments that make up the South Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency, including Worli and Sewri. And in the Sena, newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora has also hit the ground running with visits and community meetings across South Mumbai. Banners of both Narwekar and Deora have sprung up across the constituency, even in Sena (UBT) strongholds. Political observers said both Sena and BJP are vying for the seat where Sena’s (UBT) Arvind Sawant is the sitting MP (see graphic) and is considered one of the high-profile seats in Maharashtra.

Deora, an erstwhile Union minister under the Congress-led UPA regime, was elected to the Rajya Sabha last month from the Sena. Deora said he has expressed his desire to contest the South Mumbai seat to the party leadership.

“It is up to the senior leaders in the Mahayuti to decide on the candidate, but when I was asked I expressed a keen interest to contest. I’m told many Rajya Sabha MPs will be contesting the Lok Sabha polls across the country, so the Rajya Sabha nomination is not a barrier to contest the Lok Sabha. I have been told by the BJP and Sena leadership that I’m best suited to fight and win this seat. My supporters and I are fully ready and activated to contest and win South Mumbai for the Mahayuti and strengthen PM Modi’s hands,” Deora said.

Narwekar has attended events over the last fortnight to engage with communities including in areas like Mumbadevi and Byculla that are minority-dominated, addressed issues of residents and taken on the Sena (UBT) in their strongholds of Worli, which is represented by Aaditya Thackeray, and Sewri. “I’m working for my party, the BJP and the NDA. So whoever gets the ticket from the Mahayuti, I will work to make sure then the Mahayuti candidate wins. I will take up any responsibility the party gives me,” Narwekar said.

In south Mumbai, Sawant had defeated Deora in 2014 and 2019. Sawant who is an Uddhav Thackeray loyalist was the Sena-BJP alliance candidate, while Deora was a candidate of the Congress-NCP. The Sena (UBT) is set to repeat Sawant as a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate this year too. Out of six MLAs in south Mumbai, Sena (UBT) and BJP have two each while Congress and the Shinde-led Sena have one MLA each.

Sena functionaries pointed out that Deora had managed to get the important Mumbai Meghwal Panchayat into the Shinde Sena’s fold. “The Deora family has its own following and Milind’s candidature will help the Mahayuti pull minority votes also, which will be hard for the BJP. Milind also has a personal contact with voters since he was an MP for two terms, even in Worli and Sewri,” the functionary said.

A BJP leader said Narwekar was a Marathi face and would be an important factor in wooing Sena (UBT) core votes in Worli, Sewri and other Marathi-dominated areas. Since he is a sitting MLA in Colaba, he would be able to mobilize voters in South Mumbai in a big way too.


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