Elections 98

State:	Maharashtra
Constituency:	Mumbai South
Total Votes Polled:	343299
Winner: INC	Deora Murli	178597
Runner Up: BJP	Jayabantiben Mehta	157532
Margin: 21065 (12%)

Elections 96

State:	Maharashtra
Constituency:	Mumbai South
Total Votes Polled:	314158
Winner: BJP	Jayawantiben Mehta	138831
Runner Up: INC	Murli Deora	115623
Margin: 23208 (7.47%)

The country's smallest Lok Sabha constituency also packs its most influential people. S K Patil, honoured with the title 'uncrowned king of Bombay' was elected thrice. In the first election he defeated socialist Purshottamdas Tandon; in the next, it was the other end of the political spectrum, the Jan Sangh, to eat humble pie. In 1967, a trade unionist named George Fernandes did the unthinkable and Patil was vanquished. In 1971, contesting as an Independent, garnering 40.4 % of the vote and coming second was industrialist Naval H Tata. In 1977 and 1980, Ratansinh Rajda, the socialist, wrested the seat from the Congress, and in 1980 defeated Murli Deora, former mayor. Deora, by now city Congress chief, won the 1984 election, defeating the BJP's Jaywantiben Mehta, and retained the seat till 1996, defeating the BJP every time. But 1996 was different, it also had the Samajwadi Party candidate in the fray who took away the Muslim votes. Deora lost, to Jaywantiben whom he had defeated 12 years ago.