Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha are likely to be the frontrunners from the BJP for the south Mumbai parliamentary seat. According to party insiders, Narwekar and Lodha played crucial roles in the defeat of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief Sharad Pawar’s panel in the prestigious Garware Club elections, where nearly 13,000 south Mumbai residents voted. The club election results were announced late Tuesday evening.
 
While NCP veteran Pawar was elected unopposed as the committee president, all other members of the Sharad Pawar Development Group were defeated by the rival GCH Dynamic Group. Some BJP leaders believe that both Narwekar and Lodha have not only established connections but also built a good rapport with the south Mumbai residents. One BJP leader stated on condition of anonymity, “One of these two leaders would be the BJP’s face for the south Mumbai Lok Sabha seat in the parliamentary elections scheduled for early 2024.”

Lodha, Narwekar have good rapport with residents. File pics/Ashish Raje