Maharashtra Assembly polls: RS MP Milind Deora to take on Aaditya Thackeray in Worli

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Sunday released its second list of 20 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections, by fielding party’s Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora from high profile Worli constituency against the Shiv Sena UBT’s sitting MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

With this, the total number of candidates announced by Shinde Sena reaches 65. One sitting Sena RS MP and two sitting MLCs — Amshya Padvi and Bhavana Gawali — were given tickets by the party. The second list features at least seven former BJP leaders and functionaries who joined Shinde Sena just ahead of the polls. So far the total seats that the Shiv Sena is contesting in Mumbai stands at 11.

With the nomination of Deora from Worli, the constituency will witness a fierce triangular fight between the three Senas with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) fielding Sandeep Deshpande from the seat. The party has also nominated former MP Sanjay Nirupam from Dindoshi who is pitted against Sena UBT’s sitting MLA and Uddhav loyalist Sunil Prabhu.

The party has also given candidature to former Sena MP and current MLC Bhavana Gavali from Risod. After Gawali was denied ticket in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, she was elected as an MLC in July this year.

The list also includes the Sena MLC Amshya Padvi from Akkalkuwa in Nandurbar, former corporators Suvarna Karanje from Vikrholi against Sena UBT sitting MLA Sunil Raut — brother of Sanjay Raut, and former MLA Tukaram Kate from Chembur against sitting MLA Prakash Fatarpekar.

The list also includes Narayan Rane’s son Nilesh Rane from Kudal against Sena UBT sitting MLA Vaibhav Naik, Murji Patel from Andheri East against Sena UBT sitting MLA Rutuja Latke, Santosh Shetty from Bhiwandi East, Baliram Sirskar from Balapur, Rajendra Gavit from Palghar, Anand Bharose from Parbhani and Vilas Tare from Boisar.

Seven candidates — Rane, Tare, Patel, Shetty, Sirskar, Bharose and Gavit were earlier with the BJP and had joined Shinde led Sena recently.
The party has also renominated three out of the four sitting MLAs Vishwanath Bhoir (Kalyan West), Shantaram More (Bhiwandi Rural) and Balaji Kenikar (Ambernath) who were not in the first list of the Sena.

The party has, however, dropped sitting MLA Shrinivas Vanaga from Palghar seat and has nominated Rajendra Gavit. Last week, the Shiv Sena had announced the party’s first list of 45 candidates with 37 of the 41 MLAs, who had sided with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in his 2022 rebellion.

The first list included the Shinde’s nomination from his stronghold of Kopri-Panchpakhadi Assembly seat in Thane, which is likely to witness a fierce Sena versus Sena contest.