Mumbai constituency may lead in Assembly polls later in 2019

The BJP and Shiv Sena's juggernaut in Mumbai may have an impact in the state Assembly polls due later this year, with the saffron alliance, which swept all six Lok Sabha seats, securing a lead in 31 of 36 Assembly constituencies.

In 2014, the Shiv Sena and BJP, which contested separately, had secured 14 and 15 seats respectively, while the Congress saw five MLAs being elected. The Samajwadi Party (SP) and All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), have one legislator each, while the NCP drew a blank.

However, the Assembly constituency-wise leads suggest that the Shiv Sena and BJP may have made gains in seats held by the Congress like Chandivali, Wadala and Malad. The Congress has however managed to make inroads in Vandre East, which has BJP city chief Ashish Shelar as the MLA.

In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant secured a lead in four of six constituencies, namely Worli, Shivdi, Malabar Hill, and Colaba, whereas his adversary Milind Deora of the Congress is ahead in Byculla, which is represented by the AIMIM'S Waris Pathan and Mumbadevi, which has his loyalist Amin Patel as the MLA. The AIMIM had not put up a candidate in the city.

The sole consolation for Eknath Gaikwad of the Congress, who faced his second successive defeat by the Shiv Sena's Rahul Shewale, comes from his lead in the Dharavi constituency which is represented by his daughter Varsha Gaikwad. Shewale leads in the five other segments in the constituency, namely Trombay-Anushaktinagar, Chembur, Sion-Koliwada, Wadala and Mahim.

Barring Wadala, which has Congress MLA, the other four seats have Shiv Sena or BJP legislators. However, Wadala MLA Kalidas Kolambkar is on his way to the BJP and had supported Shewale in his bid for office.

In North Mumbai, the BJP's Gopal Shetty, who won by a thumping margin of 4.65 lakh votes against actress Urmila Matondkar of the Congress, is leading in all six constituencies, including Malad, which has a Congress MLA (Aslam Shaikh). Though Priya Dutt (Congress) was defeated by the BJP's Poonam Mahajan from North Central Mumbai, she has a slender lead from the Vandre (East) seat, which is represented by Shelar in the assembly. However, Mahajan is one up in Chandivali, which is held by former minister Nasim Khan (Congress).

Gajanan Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena is ahead in all six assembly constituencies in his seat against Sanjay Nirupam of the Congress, while the BJP's Manoj Kotak is ahead in five segments (Mulund, Vikhroli, Bhandup West, Ghatkopar West, and Ghatkopar East). Kotak's adversary Sanjay Dina Patil of the NCP has secured a lead only in Mankhurd- Shivajinagar, which has a strong Muslim pocket and is represented by the SP's Abu Asim Azmi.

FIGURES SPEAK

The BJP and Shiv Sena’s juggernaut in Mumbai may have an impact in the state Assembly polls due later in 2019, with the saffron alliance sweeping all the six Lok Sabha seats