Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | As BJP backs his rival, Shiv Sena MLA Sarvankar says won't withdraw from Mahim poll fray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA Sadanand Sarvankar, seeking re-election from Mumbai's Mahim assembly seat, on Thursday made it clear he will not withdraw from the fray amid show of support by his party ally BJP to his rival Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray.

"There is no question of my withdrawing from the race," Sarvankar told PTI.

Sources in the Shiv Sena, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally and key member of the ruling Mahayuti bloc, said the party was in favour of backing MNS candidate Amit Thackeray, making his electoral debut, but not at the cost of Sarvankar.

The MNS is not a part of Mahayuti, but the Raj Thackeray-led outfit had supported the ruling alliance in Maharashtra in this year's Lok Sabha elections.

The sources pointed out that of the 39 MLAs who backed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde when he led a revolt against the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, then-head of the united Shiv Sena, all have been either re-nominated or their kin have been given tickets for the November 20 Assembly polls.

Sarvankar, the sitting MLA from Mahim, was one of the 39 legislators who backed Shinde during the June 2022 rebellion.

Three Shiv Sena MPs, who sided with Shinde, but were denied tickets -- Bhavana Gawali, Krupal Tumane and Hemant Patil --- have been rehabilitated and made MLCs.

The sources pointed out that the Shiv Sena has not fielded its candidate in Mumbai's Shivadi seat, paving the way for a direct contest between Shiv Sena (UBT) Ajay Chaudhari and MNS nominee Bala Nandgaonkar and in a way helping the latter.

The BJP has declared support to Amit Thackeray, who is pitted against Sarvankar and opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Mahesh Sawant.

November 4 is the last date for withdrawal of candidatures.

When asked about Sarvankar, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule maintained he can not say whether the MLA will withdraw from the race as this was an internal issue of the Shiv Sena.

On Wednesday, in a post on X, Sarvankar said he has been a Shiv Sena worker for 40 years and has become an MLA three times through sheer dint of hard work in his constituency.

Had the Shiv Sena chief the late Bal Thackeray been alive today, he would not have asked him to leave the prestigious seat for his relatives, Sarvankar asserted.

The Shiv Sena MLA also urged Raj Thackeray not to do "injustice" to a worker like him and let him contest from the seat.

Amid the tussle, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has said Raj Thackeray is praising the ruling BJP as he is worried about his son Amit's electoral fortunes.

Polling for the 288-member state assembly will take place on November 20 and results will be announced three days later. Mumbai accounts for 36 assembly segments.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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