Why are political parties opting for 2nd, 3rd preference candidates in Mumbai?

A Shinde faction leader said when it came to choosing between Deora and Jadhav, rather than elective merit it was the Marathi-speaking factor that prevailed

MUMBAI: The Mumbai candidates have finally been announced in the nick of time, but by all accounts the choices have been a struggle all around. In at least three of the six constituencies, the parties in the electoral fray found it difficult to pick candidates with elective merit and ended up selecting candidates for various other reasons such as the Marathi-versus-Gujarati card played by the Sena (UBT).

In Mumbai South, Yamini Jadhav was not the first preference of the ruling alliance.

In Mumbai South, Yamini Jadhav was not the first preference of the ruling alliance. Both the BJP and the CM Shinde-led Sena had at least two contenders shortlisted: while the BJP had Rahul Narwekar and Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the Shinde camp had Milind Deora and Yashwant Jadhav. “Eknath Shinde convinced the BJP that a Sena-versus-Sena battle would give them better chances of winning,” said a Shinde faction leader. “When it was confirmed that the constituency would be contested by the Sena, the BJP suggested Yamini over her husband Yashwant Jadhav owing to the corruption cases against him.”

The leader said that when it came to choosing between Deora and Jadhav, rather than elective merit it was the Marathi-speaking factor that prevailed. “Candidates in many constituencies were chosen based on factors such as language and caste,” he said.

In Mumbai North, the Congress picked Bhushan Patil because he is Marathi, as the party believes that the Marathi-versus-Gujarati card is at play in the constituency and it could help Patil in doing well. Patil had contested the Borivali assembly constituency in 2009 and was relegated to third position.

A Mumbai Congress leader said that the first preference for the constituency was Tejasvee Ghosalkar, wife of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar who was killed by a local criminal Mauris Naronha in February. “Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad had met Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray with the proposal,” he said. “But the Sena (UBT) was not keen on fielding Ghosalkar as a Congress candidate and the Congress was not ready to concede the seat to the Sena (UBT). The Congress’s Kalu Budhelia was among the top contenders, but the party felt that the constituency needed a Marathi candidate and thus picked Patil.”

The Shiv Sena also struggled to find a candidate for Mumbai North West and finally fielded Ravindra Waikar. The party first approached leading Marathi actors, including Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sharad Ponkshe and Sachin Khedekar but they turned down the offer. Former minister Deepak Sawant was interested in contesting but the survey reports were not in his favour. This compelled the Shiv Sena to pick a candidate who himself was uninterested in contesting. According to leaders from the Shinde camp, Waikar has accepted the candidacy most unwillingly.

In adjoining Mumbai North Central, the BJP tapped actors like Madhuri Dixit and Raveena Tandon and was serious about fielding its Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar. Facing refusals by all of them, the party handpicked Ujjwal Nikam.

BJP leaders in the state feel that the Shinde camp’s obstinacy about keeping three Mumbai seats could damage the ruling alliance’s prospects of winning. “The Sena faction had no candidate in any constituency except for Mumbai South Central,” said a BJP leader. “Despite this, it insisted on three seats. But I think this has happened in the opposition alliance as well. The Shiv Sena (UBT) insisted on Mumbai South Central just because it houses Sena Bhavan, the party headquarters. Apart from Mumbai, there are several state seats claimed by the two Shiv Sena factions despite their national allies, the BJP and Congress, having better candidates.”

Mumbai based political analyst Hemant Desai said, “The Shinde faction has not been able to make inroads into Mumbai although it claims to be the real Shiv Sena. That is the reason why the party ends up inducting leaders like Govinda, Ameya Ghole and Raju Waghmare. Secondly, on the ground level, there is a tussle between the BJP and the Shinde Sena, and this could affect the prospects of the alliance candidate.”