Shivadi assembly constituency Straight fight between Shiv Sena UBT and MNS

Mumbai, Nov 19 (PTI) A traditional bastion of undivided Shiv Sena in central Mumbai, the Shivadi assembly constituency has witnessed a steady change in its demography and social profile over decades with skyscrapers replacing traditional dwellings and the rise of mixed voters.
    Incidentally, Shivadi is the only assembly segment in Mumbai where Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi are not locked in a straight fight.
    Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) has renominated its two-term MLA Ajay Chaudhari against Bala Nandgaonkar of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for the November 20 battle.
    Independent candidate and former BEST committee chairman Nana Ambole is not in a position to turn the tide in his favour but can potentially eat into traditional Marathi voters, political observers feel.
    Earlier known as the Parel assembly constituency, the Shivadi segment was created after delimitation in 2009.
    Shivadi has been loyal to Shiv Sena for the past four decades barring the 2009 assembly contest when Bala Nandgaonkar was elected as an MNS nominee.
    A former Shiv Sainik and close aide of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, Nandgaonkar lost the momentum after the 2009 victory, facing defeats in subsequent electoral contests in 2014 and 2019.
    Chaudhari defeated Nandgaonkar and MNS nominee Santosh Nalawade in the 2014 and 2019 bouts, respectively.
    A traditional Marathi stronghold, the Shivadi assembly constituency is part of Girangaon (the erstwhile mill district due to several cloth mills in the area). The majority of residents constitute a working-class population.
    Once known for its mills, chawls, and slums, the profile and character of the Shivadi constituency changed a lot in the past two decades. High-rise towers have come up in place of chawls.
    The shifting of the chawl-dwellers to skyscrapers and the rise of the nouveau riche class, especially members of the Gujarati and Marwari communities and North Indians, changed the demography of this constituency, which now has 2,75,384 eligible voters.
    Over the last few years, several Marathi residents shifted their base to the Mumbai metropolitan region. Though their names remain on the electors' list, many of them do not come to vote in Shivadi. On the other hand, the number of Gujarati and Marwari voters, a BJP vote bank, rose steadily.
    Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Chaudhari is battling anti-incumbency to a certain extent, political analysts said. In the 2019 assembly polls, Chaudhari polled 77,687 votes, while MNS's Santosh Nalawade bagged 38,350 votes.
    Notably, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Arvind Sawant secured 76,053 votes from the Shivadi assembly constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls whereas Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) faction candidate Yamini Jadhav polled 59,150 votes.
    "The voting pattern in the past suggests that Chaudhari has an edge as he has some work to show. Nandgaonkar, on the other hand, is contesting an election after a 10-year gap," the political observers pointed out.
    Another potential advantage for Chaudhari is the possibility of Muslim voters standing behind Shiv Sena (UBT). On the other hand, the BJP is supporting the MNS, which led agitations against loudspeakers blaring on mosques.
    On the last day of campaigning on November 17, Raj Thackeray addressed a rally for Nandgaonkar in the Shivadi constituency. Conversely, Uddhav Thackeray didn't address a rally for Chaudhari. Uddhav's son Aaditya Thackeray campaigned for the Shivdi candidate.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)