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Thane tussle: Navi Mumbai vs Thane and Shiva Sena vs BJP
Shiv Sena-BJP tussle in Kalyan settled in Eknath Shinde's favor. Focus now on Thane Lok Sabha seat, with BJP claiming stronghold. Leaders from Navi Mumbai vying for ticket.
While the Shiv Sena – BJP tussle over Kalyan has been settled in chief minister Eknath Shinde’s favour with his son and sitting MP Shrikant being given the go-ahead, all eyes are now on the Thane Lok Sabha constituency, a Shinde bastion that the BJP is claiming.
Though traditionally the ticket has been given to candidates from Thane region, Navi Mumbai has emerged over the years as an important political arena. And Navi Mumbai political leaders from both the parties are vying for the ticket.
Navi Mumbai strongman and former minister Ganesh Naik’s son, Sanjeev Naik was given the ticket by NCP, first in 2008 for a by-election and then in 2009 when he won against Shiv Sena’s Vijay Chougule, who too is from Navi Mumbai. He, however, lost in the 2014 election to the sitting Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare, who has won two consecutive terms since.
With the Shiv Sena splitting, Shinde wants to make sure he holds the reins in his bastion which his mentor Anand Dighe had cultivated. The BJP however claims that the Shiv Sena has been winning due to its support and citing that it had held the constituency earlier.
Thane Lok Sabha seat consists of six assembly segments: Mira Bhayandar, Kopri-Pachpakhadi, Ovala-Majiwada, Thane, Airoli and Belapur. Of the six assembly constituencies, BJP has MLAs in four, including two in Navi Mumbai.
BJP’s Gita Jain represents Mira Bhayandar, Sanjay Kelkar is Thane MLA, Ganesh Naik is from Airoli while Manda Mhatre is the MLA from Belapur. Shiv Sena has Kopri-Pachpakhadi represented by Shinde and Pratap Sarnaik from Ovala-Majiwada.
In Navi Mumbai, from the Shinde camp, retired IAS officer and former Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Vijay Nahata is making a strong pitch. The highly educated Nahata is seen as a face to represent the developed region of Navi Mumbai and Thane.
From the BJP, Sanjeev Naik, who joined the party in 2019, has again thrown his hat in the ring. He has for the past several months been making the rounds in the constituency and attending several programmes, making his intention clear.
A new entrant is mathadi leader, former MLC Narendra Patil who is a close associate of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The mathadis have traditionally been Sharad Pawar supporters but, in recent times, Patil has ensured their proximity to the BJP. The powerful mathadi union of which he is the general secretary has written to the Mahayuti leaders to field Patil from Thane constituency.
Shiv Sena leader Deepak Kesarkar earlier this week assured party workers in Navi Mumbai that there will be a Shiv Sena candidate contesting the election.
Contenders from Thane include BJP’s Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, MLA Sanjay Kelkar and Shiv Sena’s former mayor Naresh Mhaske, MLC Ravindra Phatak and MLA Pratap Sarnaik.
