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Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Deshpande is likely to take on Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MLA Aaditya Thackeray from Mumbai's Worli seat in the upcoming state assembly polls, MNS sources said on Sunday.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS senses an opportunity after the Shiv Sena-UBT candidate's lead fell to less than 7,000 votes in the Worli assembly segment during the recent Lok Sabha polls.
A home to some of India's wealthiest residents, Worli, part of Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, is marked by high-rises and thriving business hubs.
It also contains dilapidated chawls awaiting redevelopment, such as the BDD chawls and police colonies.
Many slum rehabilitation projects are stalled, and some redeveloped buildings have not provided the promised monthly rentals to residents.
Deshpande is likely to take on Aaditya Thackeray in the assembly polls, MNS sources told PTI.
The MNS leader has been actively engaging with Worli residents addressing their concerns.
On Saturday, MNS president Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to discuss issues plaguing Worli.
The meeting is significant, given the focus on Worli-related concerns.
Following the meeting, Shinde directed officials to prioritise addressing Worli's issues, according to the Chief Minister's Office.
Notably, the MNS did not field a candidate from Worli in the 2019 assembly polls as Aaditya Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena-UBT head and former CM Uddhav Thackeray, was contesting his maiden election.
Aaditya, the first Thackeray to enter electoral politics, won by a margin of 62,247 votes, facing no strong Opposition.
Despite the Shiv Sena-UBT victory, the Worli assembly segment saw a significant drop in lead during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, with party candidate Arvind Sawant leading by just 6,715 votes, the lowest in four of the six assembly constituencies under Mumbai South where he dominated his Shiv Sena challenger.
The MNS now sees a potential opening.
It remains unclear whether the ruling alliance or the MNS will contest together.
The Shiv Sena led by CM Shinde and the ruling BJP are organising events in Worli to strengthen their presence.
"In 2017 municipal corporation polls, we (MNS) bagged around 30,000 to 33,000 votes from Worli. We have voters dedicated to MNS in this constituency," Deshpande told PTI.
The MNS claimed that Aaditya Thackeray- the second in command in the Shiv Sena-UBT hierarchy after his father Uddhav Thackeray- is not accessible to the common people who need a hands-on MLA.
"The question is accessibility here. People need an MLA who is accessible, which is not the case with the incumbent MLA," Deshpande said.
Shiv Sena-UBT MLC Sunil Shinde acknowledged the "unexpected drop" in the lead of his party candidate during the Lok Sabha polls, attributing it to overconfidence but expressed confidence of Aaditya Thackeray's return to the fray in the upcoming assembly elections.
"The drop in the lead does not mean that people were upset with us. Our candidate was far better than our rival (Shiv Sena's Yamini Jadhav). But in the Lok Sabha polls, it was the Modi factor. We did not get the expected response from high-rises," he claimed.
The MLC said that in a three-cornered contest, the MNS might eat into votes of the Sena-UBT, but only around 2,500.
The Shiv Sena-UBT has a robust plan to attract voters to the polling booths on election day, he added.
Elections to the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra are due in October this year.
Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban district collectively send 36 MLAs to the state assembly.