Sena (UBT) extends olive branch to city Congress chief, suggests different seat

Varsha Gaikwad, an MLA from Dharavi, wanted to contest from Mumbai South Central, where her father, the late Eknath Gaikwad, was an MP

MUMBAI: In a bid to placate irked Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Varsha Gaikwad, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has proposed to the Congress that the party nominate her from the Mumbai North Central constituency. Meanwhile, the Congress wants the Sena (UBT)’s former corporator Tejasvee Ghosalkar to fight the polls on a Congress ticket from Mumbai North. Tejasvee’s husband, Abhishek, was recently shot dead in a live Facebook event by history-sheeter Mauris Norhona.

CIty Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad (PTI)

Varsha Gaikwad, an MLA from Dharavi, wanted to contest from Mumbai South Central, where her father, the late Eknath Gaikwad, was an MP. She was livid when Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray unilaterally announced the candidature of former Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai from the seat, after which the Sena (UBT), to pacify her, suggested that the Congress field her from Mumbai North Central. The seat is with the Congress but the Sena (UBT) has assured Gaikwad that it will back her to the hilt with its machinery.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is a part of the INDIA bloc as well as the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The party has announced candidates for four of the six seats in Mumbai: Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North East and Mumbai North West. This is the first time that the Shiv Sena (UBT), as a remnant of the undivided Shiv Sena, and the Congress are in an alliance.

Since former MP Priya Dutt is not contesting the polls, the Congress is in search of a suitable candidate for Mumbai North Central and suggested that Gaikwad contest from there with its full electoral support. When questioned, Gaikwad said: “Our party will have to take a call on that. If the Sena (UBT) feels I am a candidate for Mumbai North Central, I am thankful. We should have got the South Central constituency though. I have already told my party about my feelings.”

Former minister Naseem Khan and former Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap are the other two names that are being discussed for the Mumbai North Central seat.

Mumbai North, which is with the Congress, is also bereft of a candidate. In 2019, the party had got actor Urmila Matondkar to contest but she lost to the BJP’s Gopal Shetty. This time, it has made an offer to Tejasvee Ghosalkar, whose father-in-law Vinod Ghosalkar is a senior Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary.

When asked her opinion, Varsha Gaikwad said that Tejasvee could be a good choice for Mumbai North “rather than getting an outsider”. “I am inclined to support her since she is a woman,” she said. But she has to enter our party, else we will have to think of someone else.”

Tejasvee’s father-in-law Vinod Ghosalkar, however, seemed disinclined to accept the proposal. “I am told that former CM Prithviraj Chavan and Uddhav Thackeray are in talks for this,” he said. “It is being discussed at the highest level. But we don’t want to fight on a Congress ticket.”