Maharashtra polls: In a complex fight for Mahim, UBT candidates pins hopes on old ties

The Mahim constituency heats up as MNS's Amit Thackeray faces Shiv Sena's Sada Sarvankar and UBT's Mahesh Sawant in a tight electoral battle

Mumbai: The fight for Mahim has drawn eyeballs towards the constituency with the impending face-off between debutant MNS candidate Amit Thackeray and Shiv Sena’s Sada Sarvankar, and third contestant Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Mahesh Sawant.

Sada Sarvankar is one of three main candidates contesting the Mahim seat. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Sawant, 52, is keeping his nose to the grind with the belief that he enjoys “unwavering support from the party’s leader and people as he speaks about local issues”.

“Like Shivaji Maharaj had belief in his soldiers and commanders to win the battle, my party leader Uddhav Thackeray has the same belief in me,” Sawant said, dismissing perceptions that Uddhav is taking a softer stance toward his nephew, Amit.

In the recent past, strong efforts were made by Shiv Sena, partner in the ruling Mahayuti, to cajole Sarvankar to exit the race, but the latter remained resolute. The ruling faction was looking to cushion Amit Thackeray, as his father and MNS chief Raj Thackeray had offered unconditional support to them in the Lok Sabha elections. On Thursday, when Uddhav declared he will not hold a campaign rally in Mahim, it strengthened speculations that it may have been the result of a tacit arrangement between him and Raj Thackeray.

Meanwhile, Uddhav had reached out to the BMC on Thursday, seeking permission to hold a rally at the Shivaji Park, Dadar, on November 17. Shivaji Park falls in Mahim assembly segment.

Sawant has deep roots in Mahim, having been part of active politics since the 1990s. A former sportsperson and the son of the leader of a mill union, he has long championed the working class and local causes.

“I am not anxious about the fight – I am a mill worker’s son, and have been used to police visiting our home searching for my father at 3am. My grandmother and mother taught me to meet every challenge head-on,” said Sawant, who has a reputation of being accessible and responsive to people’s needs, earning him loyalty from the local Shiv Sena (UBT) cadre.

Mahim is a cosmopolitan constituency -- of the registered 226,110 voters, there is a sizeable Marathi-speaking population, apart from Muslims Gujaratis, Rajasthanis, Christians, south Indians, Punjabis and Bengalis, spread out between Dadar and Prabhadevi. The two areas have historically swayed the numbers in the undivided Sena’s favour.

This time, however, MNS is relying heavily on Marathi votes from these areas, while Sawant is keeping the faith as his party garnered the numbers in the Lok Sabha elections.

He explained his strategy. “We are targeting a wide range of issues affecting locals – from chawls in Prabhadevi to those in high-rises,” he said, adding his campaign is focussed on door-to-door outreach, engaging with residents in both traditional and new neighbourhoods.

He criticised sitting MLA Sarvankar for neglecting “the needs of the people as he has been busy elsewhere”.

“Residents from over 20 buildings have been struggling for their rights for 18 years. Many old buildings still have British-era pipelines, and as new high-rises are coming up, water pressure issues are severe. There are many other problems that the MLA has not addressed,” he said.

Sawant also criticised the recent allocation of ₹500 crores to the Siddhivinayak Temple, where Sarvankar is the head of the trust, arguing that these funds would better serve the local population. “If the government directed these funds to address local issues, it would significantly improve residents’ lives,” he said.

Residents, meanwhile, are rallying around Sawant. Mahadev Borkar, a 71-year-old resident of Prabhadevi, said, “We have supported Shiv Sena since it was founded. We are now with Shiv Sena (UBT) because they have given us a candidate who is always there for us. We don’t want a leader who won’t take our calls.”

Another resident, Sunil Patole, 51, affirmed his loyalty to Shiv Sena due to its legacy of supporting local employment. “We’re fed up with politics, but we owe our jobs to Shiv Sena’s vision. We will choose our representative on November 20, and it will likely be a Sena (UBT) candidate,” he said.