Maharashtra Assembly elections: Eknath’s army fields Milind Deora from Worli against Aditya Thackeray. india news

New Delhi: The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction on Sunday announced former Congress MP and now Rajya Sabha member Milind Deora as its candidate to challenge sitting Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aditya Thackeray in Mumbai’s Worli constituency.
Deora had earlier hinted on social media by saying, “Justice for Worli and the Worlikars is long overdue. Together, we are paving the way forward…it is Worli now!” This seat, traditionally a stronghold of Shiv Sena, is now emerging as the focal point of the Mahayuti alliance’s strategy. Both the BJP and Shinde Sena had expressed interest in contesting this high-profile seat, but the Mahayuti decided that it would be fielded by a Sena candidate, and ultimately settled on Deora.
The first Thackeray family member to run for office in 2019, Aaditya Thackeray had earlier won the Worli seat by defeating NCP’s Suresh Mane by a huge margin. However, in the recent 2024 Lok Sabha results, Sena (UBT) candidate Arvind Sawant won from this constituency with a very narrow lead of only 6,700 votes, suggesting a possible change in the political dynamics within Worli.
The contest in Worli will not be straightforward as Sandeep Deshpande of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has also joined the race, making it a three-way fight similar to the neighboring Mahim constituency, where the Sena, Sena (UBT), and Is MNS. All the candidates are competing for supremacy. Deora, son of late Congress leader Murli Deora, is a seasoned politician, having been a two-time Congress MP from Mumbai South and a prominent voice in Maharashtra politics. Deora joined the Shinde-led Sena faction after resigning from the Congress earlier this year, following which he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
In recent months, BJP spokesperson Shaina NC had been actively campaigning in the Worli constituency and had expressed interest in contesting from this seat on an Sena ticket. However, reportedly due to internal conflict within the BJP, it was decided to give the seat to a Shiv Sena candidate under the Mahayuti arrangement.
The upcoming election is expected to be contentious, as both sides seek to capitalize on Worli’s recent development and Aditya’s achievements in his three years in office. In an emotional letter to his constituency last year, Aditya had attacked rival parties for “indulging in dirty politics and betrayal”, and accused the Shinde faction of using underhand tactics in their campaigns.

Complete list of Shinde faction:

Apart from Deora’s candidature in Worli, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) fielded other prominent candidates, including Sanjay Nirupam from Dindoshi assembly constituency and Nilesh N Rane from Kudal assembly constituency.