Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai: In a tightly contested election in south Mumbai’s Worli constituency, Aditya Thackeray, representing Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), has taken a slim lead over Milind Deora of the Eknath Shinde faction. As of 10:35 am on Saturday, Aditya Thackeray led by just 478 votes, with only three rounds of counting completed out of 17.
Worli: A Battle of Legacies
The Worli constituency has seen a dramatic shift in political alignments. Aditya Thackeray, who won the seat with a resounding 67,000-vote margin in 2019, is now locked in a fierce battle with Milind Deora, a former Congress leader who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena earlier this year.
The segment is part of the Mumbai (South) Lok Sabha constituency, a former stronghold of the Deora family. Milind Deora’s father, Murli Deora, won the seat multiple times between 1984 and 1998. Milind himself represented Mumbai (South) in the Lok Sabha as a Congress MP in 2004 and 2009. However, the Shiv Sena began dominating the region in 2014, with Arvind Sawant, now part of the Eknath Shinde faction, emerging victorious twice.
Candidates Clash Over Development
Milind Deora has framed the contest as a referendum on development, accusing Aditya Thackeray of failing to meet the expectations of the people in Worli.
“This is not a personal battle. I have known Aaditya for a long time, but people are tired of speed-breaker politics. Maharashtra needs progress,” Deora told NDTV before the polls.
Aditya Thackeray countered these claims by criticizing the ruling BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena for allegedly ‘looting’ Maharashtra. He also pointed to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s success in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where it won 30 of Maharashtra’s 48 seats.
Significance of the Contest
This election is not just about the Worli constituency but also reflects the broader political rivalry between the Thackeray family and the Deora family, as well as the shifting alliances in Maharashtra’s politics.
With 14 rounds of counting still remaining, the contest remains unpredictable, keeping both camps on edge.
