Changed loyalties, Baba Siddique murder to cast shadow on election in Bandra East

Mumbai: Bandra East was a Shiv Sena stronghold until the last Maharashtra assembly elections, but with a triangular contest this time, the outcome in this suburban Mumbai seat has become more unpredictable.

Zeeshan Siddique, then with Congress, won from the constituency in 2019, defeating the undivided Shiv Sena’s Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, a former mayor.

Zeeshan might have an edge due to the sympathy factor in the aftermath of his father, NCP leader and former Congress minister Baba Siddique’s murder earlier this month.

But locals also say that his decision to join the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the BJP, could go against him as the constituency has a sizable Muslim population.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is part of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP `Mahayuti’ alliance.

The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has fielded Trupti Sawant, a former Shiv Sena MLA of the constituency. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Varun Sardesai, party leader Aaditya Thackeray’s cousin and secretary of Yuva Sena, the party’s youth wing.

The seat is prestigious for Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) as it is home to `Matoshree’, the residence of the Thackeray family.

The sprawling constituency contains slums, a government housing colony, residential societies including Kala Nagar where noted Marathi literary figures once lived, new residential towers, and the business district of Bandra Kurla Complex or BKC.

Bandra East, on the eastern side of the Bandra railway station, was carved out as a separate constituency in 2009. Before that it was known as Kherwadi, a Congress stronghold.

The undivided Shiv Sena’s Bala Sawant won from the new seat in 2009 and retained it in 2014. After his death in 2015, the Sena fielded his wife Trupti Sawant in the byelection. She defeated Narayan Rane, who was then with the Congress.

In 2019, the Sena replaced Sawant with Mahadeshwar, who lost to Zeeshan Siddique.

Housing and civic issues including slum rehabilitation, redevelopment of the government housing colony and traffic congestion are among the issues in the constituency where Marathi, Dalit and Muslim votes are decisive.

In 2019, Trupti Sawant contested as an independent and polled 24,071 votes, indirectly helping Siddique win by a margin of 5,833 as the Shiv Sena vote got split. Siddique got 38,337 and Mahadeshwar 32,547 votes.

AIMIM polled 12,594 votes. In 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad got a lead of 28,000 from this assembly segment, helping her defeat Ujjwal Nikam of the BJP in Mumbai North Central parliamentary seat.

There are a total of 2,48,345 registered voters, including 1,16,700 women.

Elections will be held on November 20.