People will decide who wins, rebellions won’t matter: Manda Mhatre
“It is the people who decide who will win and since they appreciate the work I have done, the rebellions are not going to matter,” Mhatre, 68, told Hindustan Times
Navi Mumbai: Manda Vijay Mhatre, two-time MLA from Belapur and the BJP candidate for the upcoming assembly poll, appears confident of a hat-trick despite facing rebellions from within the ruling Mahayuti alliance and two strong opponents in Shiv Sena upneta Vijay Nahata who is contesting as an independent and Sandeep Naik, former MLA and son of former minister and Navi Mumbai strongman Ganesh Naik, who is in the fray as the NCP (SP) candidate.

“It is the people who decide who will win and since they appreciate the work I have done, the rebellions are not going to matter,” Mhatre, 68, told Hindustan Times. “It is actually much easier this time – the opponents are either the same or from the same family. They lost to me in 2014, when no one was with me. In 2019, I won by 45,000 votes. This time, that record will be broken,” she said.
Mhatre’s 2014 victory over Ganesh Naik, then with the undivided NCP, caused a major upset, whereas in 2019, she scored an easy victory over NCP’s Ashok Gawade. This time, however, Sandeep Naik was a strong contender for the Belapur seat. After the BJP chose to nominate her over Naik, he switched over to the NCP (SP) with numerous former corporators.
Mhatre though appears unfazed by the exits. “For one person who has left, hundreds others have joined me. At my meetings, everyone in the area is present except former corporators. They were not with me earlier either,” she said.
Explaining why she was chosen over Naik by the BJP, Mhatre said it is not about how many corporators are with you or how much money you have. The party looks at a candidate’s work in their constituency, their work for the organisation, and their character, she said, adding, “What does father in one party and son in another mean? Why do they want both constituencies? Had they demanded the ticket for someone outside their family, the party could have considered.”
The two-time MLA acknowledged the lack of support from cadres of Shiv Sena, saying although chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde had assured her that they would all back her, some of them weren’t.
“The truth is alliances are fine, but it is the people who are going to vote and I am walking with them. If Shiv Sena workers come, fine. Else, I have won without anyone’s support earlier too,” said Mhatre, whose low-key poll campaign comprising personal meetings is mainly focussed on projects worth ₹2,000-crore that she has brought to the constituency in her two terms.
“I am developing smart villages. I have built jetties for the fishingfolk, got compensation for those affected by the Atal Setu, funds for every ward for high-mast lights and smart gardens. A Maharashtra Bhavan is coming up and Amrut Yojana schemes are being implemented,” she says at meetings, urging the electorate to check which candidate has brought how many projects, including for redevelopment.
Mhatre also makes it a point to brandish her clean image, which she says has endeared her to the people. “Even if one builder says that I have taken money from him, I will quit politics. Builders, traders, government personnel, hawkers – everyone wants me to win,” she told HT.
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