Battle for South Mumbai: Shiv Sena might field Milind Deora against ​​Aaditya Thackeray from Worli | Mumbai News – Times of India

MUMBAI: Both the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are keen on contesting the high-profile Worli assembly seat, where Sena (UBT)’s Aaditya Thackeray is the incumbent MLA. The Sena may field Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora for this seat.
A senior Sena official stated that Deora’s name is under consideration and he may be asked to run from the seat. Deora had been in the race for the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat, but that ticket went to MLA Yamini Jadhav, who lost to Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant.Deora, a former Congress MP and Union Minister, left the Congress earlier this year, joined the Sena, and received a Rajya Sabha nomination. Worli falls under the South Mumbai Lok Sabha constituency.
Aaditya filed his nomination from Worli on Thursday. Meanwhile, the MNS has announced former Corporator Sandeep Deshpande as their candidate from Worli.
On behalf of the BJP, Shaina NC has been campaigning in the constituency. The Sena previously stated that this seat would be contested by their nominee. “The party will give a chance to a local Shiv Sainik from this seat. We are confident that a good candidate will be nominated who will fight and win. Worli is Shiv Sena’s seat,” said Sena’s Susieben Shah.
In the 2019 assembly polls, Aaditya, the first member of the Thackeray family to contest an election, made his political debut by defeating his NCP rival Suresh Mane with a margin of over 70,000 votes. However, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Sena (UBT) candidate Arvind Sawant had only a 6,715-vote lead from the Worli assembly constituency.
While the Sena has yet to confirm a candidate for the seat, both CM Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde, have focused on Worli with frequent visits. In September, Shrikant intensified the political atmosphere in Worli by visiting as part of his Jan Samvad Yatra.
In 2022, shortly after the MVA government was ousted, Aaditya wrote an emotional letter to his constituency’s residents, marking three years as MLA. In this letter, he subtly criticized the BJP without naming it, claiming every party now wanted to invest time and money in Worli due to its remarkable progress. He also addressed “Worlikars” to accuse the CM Eknath Shinde faction of indulging in “dirty politics and betrayal.”