Last updated:
From Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, to Yugendra Pawar, Aaditya Thackeray, and Zeeshan Siddique, important leaders from these five constituencies will lock horns in the Maharashtra elections.
(From left) Devendra Fadnavis, Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar, and Zeeshan Siddique are some of the big names in the fray from the five constituencies. (News18)
The battle for Maharashtra is now over as Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) wait with bated breath to find out who the voters choose to run the state’s financial capital for the next five years. Though the exit polls on Wednesday brought cheers for Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti as most polls predicted an edge for the Sena-BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar’s faction), political parties also believed in taking the survey with a grain of salt.
The results for the Maharashtra elections will be declared on November 23. Now, News18 takes a look at five key constituencies that will be on everyone’s attention as the bigwigs clash.
Worli
The upper house seat will see a triangular contest between Sena’s Milind Deora, Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena (UBT) scion Aaditya Thackeray, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) Sandeep Deshpande.
Deora, a former MP from South Mumbai, has held several important posts, including minister of state for communications and information technology and shipping during the UPA-2 government. He jumped from the Congress to Shinde’s Sena and is confident of winning over the urban middle-class voters. Speaking to CNN-News18 on Wednesday, Deora said that Mahayuti has brought development in the country. “We have removed the false narrative from Maha Vikas Aghadi. Chief minister Eknath Shinde likes the popular image. I have a strong connection with Worli and regardless of the outcome, I will continue to work for Worli.
Deora will battle it out with Aaditya Thackeray who, in his election debut in 2019, won a landslide victory from Worli with 89,248 votes. Thackeray Jr’s hands-off approach during the Covid-19 pandemic won him praise in the constituency and he is seen as a youth icon who can continue the legacy of his father and grandfather Balasaheb Thackeray.
MNS’ Deshpande, meanwhile, is known to focus on local issues, especially infrastructure and housing, and is a popular figure among Marathi-speaking voters.
BARAMATI
Baramati, the stronghold of the Pawar family, will see yet another family clash as Sharad Pawar’s nephew Yugendra Pawar will clash with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. Yugendra, though a political greenhorn, has been mentored by veteran politician Sharad Pawar as well as Supriya Sule’s aunt. He also held the position of treasurer in Vidya Pratishthan, an educational institute founded by Sharad Pawar.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar has become the king of the constituency which is the turf of the Pawar family. He has won the seat for seven consecutive terms since 1991. In 2019, Ajit Pawar got nearly 1.95 lakh votes and a whopping 83.24 percent vote share.
The battle this time will also test the loyalty of voters – will they give Pawar Sr’s mentee a chance to show their loyalty to him or will they vote for his nephew who also has close ties to the constituency?
SOUTH WEST NAGPUR
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, also the face of the BJP in Maharashtra, will defend his territory against Prafful Gudadhe of the Congress who is an influential leader and has resolved a rift in the party to give a tough challenge to Fadnavis.
Fadnavis has represented the Nagpur South West constituency since 2009, winning three straight terms, and in the 2019 elections, he won by more than 49,000 votes. Gudadhe is known for his grassroots connections and has been able to attack the BJP by exploiting the public’s negative sentiments on some of the party’s economic policies.
VANDRE EAST
The assembly constituency will witness a contest between Zeeshan Siddique and Varun Sardesai, nephew of Uddhav Thackeray.
Zeeshan Siddique, who has young voters and the Muslim community on his side, is known for his role in addressing local issues and his social media engagement with voters to help address these issues. Zeeshan is also the son of recently slain NCP leader Baba Siddique who was shot dead by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang just a month before the elections. Experts feel this could get Zeeshan some sympathy votes.
Sardesai, meanwhile, has become a loyal soldier of the Shiv Sena (UBT) when the party split in 2022. He has wooed the traditional voter base of the Sena and enjoys significant influence in Vandre East.
KOPRI-PACHPAKHADI
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde will lock horns with Kedar Dighe, the nephew of his political mentor Anand Dighe, in the Kopri-Pachpakhadi Assembly constituency in Thane.
Shinde has often referred to Anand Dighe as a guiding figure in politics and even financed a Marathi film – Dharmaveer 2 – which is based on Dighe’s life and highlights Shinde’s close relationship with the late Shiv Sena strongman. Since the inception of the constituency in 2009, Eknath Shinde has won the last three elections from this seat.
- location:
Maharashtra, India
