With the Vidhan Sabha elections just two and a half months away, political parties in the state are gearing up for the contest. The Vasai, Nalasopara, and Boisar constituencies in the Vasai taluka are currently held by the Mahavikas Aghadi, specifically by the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena. In this context, Shiv Sena district secretary Harishchandra Patil has sent a letter to party chief Uddhav Thackeray, requesting the nomination of MLA Sunil Shinde from Vasai and senior leader and former MP Vinayak Raut from Nalasopara.
In his letter, Patil points out that since 1990, due to the terror in the Vasai constituency, a Shiv Sena candidate has never been elected. From the year 2000 onwards, candidates from other parties and organizations were given the opportunity to run as Shiv Sena candidates. This led to internal factions within the party, weakening the organization. These candidates eventually left the party, and despite being nominated by other parties, they will not receive support from Shiv Sena workers in the future. For example, Congress’s Vijay Patil contested the election from Vasai under the party symbol but returned to his original party after losing.
The party report suggests that it is questionable whether there is a strong and loyal local Shiv Sena candidate in the Vasai and Nalasopara constituencies. In such a situation, loyal Shiv Sena members in Vasai are demanding that the party nominate a staunch Shiv Sainik like Vinayak Raut from Nalasopara. Raut has a solid base of 30% Konkani voters and a total of 70% Marathi voters in Nalasopara.
Prominent Konkani leaders such as former district chief Shirish Chavan, Virar city chief Vijay Jadhav, Ganesh Bhayde, and Pradeep Sawant hold significant influence in the area. The current local district chief, Pankaj Deshmukh, originally from the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, has not been receiving cooperation from local office bearers despite his appointment as district chief. Therefore, nominating Sunil Shinde, a valiant Shiv Sainik, for the Vasai Assembly constituency would be a wise decision. Shinde is expected to receive a warm welcome from the loyal Shiv Sena workers in Vasai and is predicted to secure victory in this constituency of local sons of the soil.
Sunil Shinde has earned the trust of Shiv Sena workers and office bearers in Vasai through his good work as the liaison chief. Vasai, a constituency with a significant number of educated voters, includes a large number of Koli, Bhandari, and Agri communities who hold Shinde in high regard. The Koli community makes up 25% of the Vasai constituency. Local office bearers such as district secretary Milind Khanolkar, district co-secretary Vivek Patil, deputy district chief Janardan Mhatre, women’s front district coordinator Mrs. Kiran Chendvankar, and Vasai taluka chief Rajaram Babar are confident that, following the party chief’s orders, they can ensure a victory for the loyal leaders of Matoshree.
Previously, candidates were forced to switch parties, leaving Shiv Sena voters and loyalists reluctant to vote. However, if Matoshree nominates Vinayak Raut and Sunil Shinde for the Nalasopara and Vasai constituencies, they are likely to win. Having prominent leaders as candidates will help eliminate local factions, as highlighted by district secretary Harishchandra Patil in his letter to the party chief. This letter indicates that all is not well within the Thackeray faction. Meanwhile, district chief Pankaj Deshmukh is keen to contest from Nalasopara and was previously considered for the graduate constituency. However, this letter has caused quite a stir within the party.
Overall, the nomination of Sunil Shinde and Vinayak Raut is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party’s position in the Vasai and Nalasopara constituencies. Their strong local presence and unwavering loyalty to the party are expected to garner substantial support from the voters. With the elections approaching, the Shiv Sena is determined to consolidate its base and secure victories in these crucial constituencies.
