Maharashtra elections: Why Mumbai is a crucial battleground in upcoming poll

Mumbai: As Maharashtra gears up for its assembly election, Mumbai emerges as a critical battleground, with 36 constituencies at stake. The city, long considered a stronghold of the Shiv Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, now sees a fierce contest between multiple factions.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance secured four out of six seats in Mumbai. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) won three seats, while Congress claimed one. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena each won one seat.
Since the Lok Sabha setback, the ruling alliance, particularly Chief Minister Shinde, has intensified efforts in Mumbai. The city has witnessed large-scale defections of local leaders from the Thackeray faction to Shinde’s Sena.
Anil Parab, a leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), stated, “Our party aims to contest 20 to 21 seats in Mumbai, though there are disputes with allies on four to five seats.” Parab emphasised the party’s strength lies in its grassroots workers and ward-level leaders.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) faces multiple challenges, including allegations from opponents that their Lok Sabha victory was due to Muslim votes. Parab countered, “Muslims voted for our party, but we have not abandoned Hindutva or our pro-Marathi stance.”
Sanjay Nirupam, national spokesperson for Shinde’s Shiv Sena, criticised Uddhav Thackeray’s approach: “Late Balasaheb Thackeray founded Shiv Sena on Hindutva and anti-Congressism. Unfortunately, Uddhav has given up Hindutva and adopted Congressism.”
The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is seeking 100 tickets statewide. In the 2019 assembly polls, the unified Shiv Sena contested 19 seats in Mumbai, while the BJP contested 17. The BJP won 16 seats and the Sena 14.
A day before the election announcement, Uddhav Thackeray underwent an angiography at HN Reliance Hospital. After a brief rest, he is expected to focus on candidate selection and embark on a tour, with emphasis on Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
One notable contest will be in Worli, where Aaditya Thackeray, current MLA and son of Uddhav Thackeray, faces a challenge from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The MNS has planned to field their leader, Sandeep Deshpande, who has already begun his campaign.