Lok Sabha elections 2024: Congress pushing hard for Mumbai South-Central, North-Central seats

MVA leaders (from left) Uddhav Thackeray, Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar at the Bharat Jodo Nya Yatra, on Sunday. Pics/Rane Ashish

With the Shiv Sena (UBT) all set to get four out of six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, the Congress aspirants in Mumbai are pushing hard against the ally's demand to get the two safer seats - Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-Central. Earlier, the Congress would contest five seats and the undivided Nationalist Congress Party one, when the two were in pre-poll alliance.

The Congress has prospective candidates for the two constituencies, but the Sena is unwilling to part with Mumbai South-Central, and instead wants to give the Congress Mumbai North-East, said a Congress leader. The leader said the party's Central Election Committee had met in Delhi on Wednesday, but he was not sure whether the names and constituencies for Maharashtra were decided. The undivided Sena and BJP had won three seats each in 2019. The equations have changed with the Sena-UBT becoming the third partner, and a dominant one. NCP-Sharad Pawar, which had won Mumbai North-East in alliance with the Congress, has given up its stake.

It is learnt that the Sena-UBT is most likely to get Mumbai South, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai North-West and Mumbai North constituencies. The MVA leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Congress representatives are expected to meet in Mumbai on Thursday to give finishing touches to the seat-sharing formula because the filing of nominations for the first phase in Maharashtra began on Wednesday. The five constituencies of eastern Vidarbha will go to polls in the first phase on April 19. MVA hasn't declared any candidate there yet.

Recently, the Sena-UBT had upset the Congress aspirants in Mumbai North-West by announcing the candidature of Amol Kirtikar whose father, a rival Sena MP, represents this segment. Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, who wanted his party to have this constituency for him, because he had contested it in 2019 and thought he could put up a better fight this time, had slammed the Sena-UBT for the unilateral announcement. Nirupam's grievance hasn't found a redressal yet.

Naseem Khan eyes North-Central

Former minister Naseem Khan is being tipped as the Congress candidate in Mumbai North-Central. Of the six Assembly constituencies that constitute this Lok Sabha seat, the Congress has only one, but its sitting MLA Zeeshan Siddique is expected to work for the NDA this time. The BJP and Shinde Sena have two MLAs each and Sena-UBT has one. Khan had lost the 2019 Assembly election from Chandivali by a narrow margin. BJP's Poonam Mahajan had won the last two elections. She is expecting the party's favour yet again.

Race for South-Central

The undivided Shiv Sena has won the South-Central twice since 2014, and it had been winning it before the delimitation exercise. Rahul Shewale of the Shinde Sena will be in the field again, with tough fights being promised by the rival Thackeray Sena and Congress, which held the segment once between 2009 and 2014. However, it is to be seen who gets it for 2024. The Congress wants it for the Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad, whose father was an MP here. The Thackeray Sena has almost finalised the candidature of its Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai whose term ends in April.

It is said that the Congress has been offered Mumbai North-East which was its stronghold before the delimitation. Currently, the BJP is in a dominant position here. It replaced sitting MP Manoj Kotak with the Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha. Though the Congress is likely to find the going tough here, it will have to take the segment if the Sena doesn't give up. Insiders in the Congress said the party may look up to Varsha Gaikwad for contesting North-East. Gaikwad's parental residence is in the constituency. Being a dalit leader, she can find traction in the segment's larger dalit localities.

Six
No of Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai