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By:

Naresh Kamath

5 November 2024 at 5:30:38 am

Battle royale at Prabhadevi-Mahim belt

Amidst cut-throat competition, five seats up for grabs Mumbai: South Central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi-Mahim belt, an epicentre of Mumbai’s politics, promises a cut-throat competition as the two combines – Mahayuti and the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) combine – sweat it out in the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. It is the same ward where Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray used to address mammoth rallies at Shivaji Park and also the residence of MNS chief...

Battle royale at Prabhadevi-Mahim belt

Amidst cut-throat competition, five seats up for grabs Mumbai: South Central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi-Mahim belt, an epicentre of Mumbai’s politics, promises a cut-throat competition as the two combines – Mahayuti and the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) combine – sweat it out in the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. It is the same ward where Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray used to address mammoth rallies at Shivaji Park and also the residence of MNS chief Raj Thackeray. This belt has five wards and boasts of famous landmarks like the Siddhivinayak temple, Mahim Dargah and Mahim Church, and Chaityabhoomi, along with the Sena Bhavan, the headquarters of Shiv Sena (UBT) combine. This belt is dominated by the Maharashtrians, and hence the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS has been vocal about upholding the Marathi pride. This narrative is being challenged by Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Sada Sarvankar, who is at the front. In fact, Sada has fielded both his children Samadhan and Priya, from two of these five wards. Take the case of Ward number 192, where the MNS has fielded Yeshwant Killedar, who was the first MNS candidate announced by its chief, Raj Thackeray. This announcement created a controversy as former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Priti Patankar overnight jumped to the Eknath Shinde camp and secured a ticket. This raised heckles among the existing Shiv Sena (Shinde) loyalists who raised objections. “We worked hard for the party for years, and here Priti has been thrust on us. My name was considered till the last moment, and overnight everything changed,” rued Kunal Wadekar, a Sada Sarvankar loyalist. ‘Dadar Neglected’ Killedar said that Dadar has been neglected for years. “The people in chawls don’t get proper water supply, and traffic is in doldrums,” said Killadar. Ward number 191 Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vishaka Raut, former Mumbai mayor, is locked in a tough fight against Priya Sarvankar, who is fighting on the Shiv Sena (Shinde) ticket. Priya’s brother Samadhan is fighting for his second term from neighbouring ward 194 against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Nishikant Shinde. Nishikant is the brother of legislator Sunil Shinde, a popular figure in this belt who vacated his Worli seat to accommodate Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray. Sada Sarvankar exudes confidence that both his children will be victorious. “Samadhan has served the people with all his dedication so much that he put his life at stake during the Covid-19 epidemic,” said Sada. “Priya has worked very hard for years and has secured this seat on merit. She will win, as people want a fresh face who will redress their grievances, as Vishaka Raut has been ineffective,” he added. He says the Mahayuti will Ward number 190 is the only ward where the BJP was the winner last term (2017) in this area, and the party has once nominated its candidate, Sheetal Gambhir Desai. Sheetal is being challenged by Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaishali Patankar. Sheetal vouches for the BJP, saying it’s time to replace the Shiv Sena (UBT) from the BMC. “They did nothing in the last 25 years, and people should now give a chance to the BJP,” said Sheetal. Incidentally, Sheetal is the daughter of Suresh Gambhir, a hardcore Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray loyalist, who has been a Mahim legislator for 4 terms and even won the 1985 BMC with the highest margin in Mumbai. In the neighbouring ward number 182, Shiv Sena (UBT) has given a ticket to former mayor and veteran corporator Milind Vaidya. He is being challenged by BJP candidate Rajan Parkar. Like the rest of Mumbai, this belt is also plagued by inadequate infrastructure to support the large-scale redevelopment projects. The traffic is in the doldrums, especially due to the closure of the Elphinstone bridge. There are thousands of old buildings and chawls which are in an extremely dilapidated state. The belt is significant, as top leaders like Manohar Joshi, Diwakar Raote and Suresh Gambhir have dominated local politics for years. In fact, Shiv Sena party’s first Chief Minister, Manohar Joshi, hailed from this belt.

The Konkan Strongmen

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

The Konkan Strongmen

The Konkan region of coastal Maharashtra has resonated with one name for the past three decades now—Narayan Rane. Admiration, fear, awe, loyalty, anger—he’s evoked varied emotions in the people, depending which side you are on. He’s considered Sindhudurg as his fiefdom, winning six elections to the state legislature from Kudal since 1991. A resident of Chembur, Rane shot to prominence when his efforts at spreading the Shiv Sena’s presence was noticed by Bal Thackeray. He then contested elections to the municipal corporation and He won the elections to the state legislature in1991 from his hometown in Sindhudurg and was handpicked by Thackeray to replace Manohar Joshi as the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 although his term lasted for a mere nine months. Rane is as known for his administrative skills as he is derided for his strongarm politics.


Immensely loyal to the senior Thackeray who he considers his political guru, Rane quit the Shiv Sena in 2005 after a rift with Uddhav. Relations between them had started souring for a while before his exit. Since then, they’ve been bitter opponents, never missing an opportunity to trade barbs. Rane has changed three parties in his political career, each of different ideologies. After moving away from the Sena, he is believed to have weighed his options and joined the Congress on an assurance that he would be considered for the chief minister’s job. However, the post has, for long, evaded him.


In a surprise turn of events, Rane lost the 2014 elections from Kudal-Malvan, a constituency he had held for six terms, to the Sena’s Vaibhav Naik. He subsequently lost the by-elections to the Bandra East constituency the same year. But not one to be defeated, Rane worked his way into the BJP. His sons followed him across the three parties. In 2009, his older son Nilesh won the Parliamentary elections from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg but couldn’t win an election after that. Younger  son Nitesh has been a member of the legislative assembly since 2014 from Kankavali and is aiming for a third term. The trio’s ability to sway votes towards the BJP in the Konkan area and their bitter attacks on the Thackerays have won them the favour of the state BJP. Over the years, the Rane politicians have won unflinching support of their loyalists and also the anger of the locals when Rane supported a controversial nuclear power project.


The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw a change in Rane’s declining fortunes; in a closely fought election from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat, Rane won, defeating his opponent from the Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena. In the upcoming elections, Rane’s two sons are vying for seats from neighbouring constituencies.

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