Assembly elections: Chennithala holds discussions with state Congress leaders

The All India Congress Committee incharge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala met state party leaders in Mumbai on Sunday and discussed strategy and issues to be highlighted in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad said reported the PTIAccording to the PTI Ramesh Chennithala held deliberations with the state Congress leaders ahead of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadis MVA meet scheduled on August 7 Varsha Gaikwad told reportersShiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP SP head Sharad Pawar alliance partners of the Congress are expected to attend the MVA meeting on WednesdayElections to the 288member Maharashtra assembly are due in October this yearVarsha Gaikwad the Congress MP from Mumbai North Central seat said she has held discussions with Thackeray on the opposition alliances approach in Mumbai regarding seatsharingTalks are on We will contest the assembly polls in alliance she said the news agency reported on SundayApart from Gaikwad former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat state unit head Nana Patole and senior leaders Nitin Raut Satej Patil and Naseem Khan attended the deliberations with ChennithalaMNS likely to contest Worli seat against Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena UBT MLA Aaditya ThackerayWith the lead of Shiv Sena UBT candidate falling to less than 7000 in Worli in the recent Lok Sabha polls the MNS senses an opportunity and is likely to field Sandeep Deshpande from this assembly seat currently held by Aaditya Thackeray reported the PTIA home to some of Indias wealthiest residents Worli part of Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency is marked by highrises and thriving business hubs However it also contains dilapidated chawls awaiting redevelopment such as the BDD chawls and police coloniesMany slum rehabilitation projects are stalled and some redeveloped buildings have not provided the promised monthly rentals to residentsOn Saturday Maharashtra Navnirman Sena MNS president Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to discuss issues plaguing Worli The meeting is significant given the focus on Worlirelated concernsFollowing the meeting CM Shinde directed officials to prioritise addressing Worlis issues according to the Chief Ministers Office the PTI reportedMNS leader Deshpande has been actively engaging with Worli residents addressing their concernsNotably 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 electionAaditya the first Thackeray to enter electoral politics won by a margin of 62247 votes facing no strong oppositionDespite 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 6715 votes the lowest in four of the six assembly constituencies under Mumbai South where he dominated his Shiv Sena challengerThe 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 presenceIn 2017 municipal corporation polls we MNS bagged around 30000 to 33000 votes from Worli We have voters dedicated to MNS in this constituency Deshpande told PTIThe MNS claimed 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 handson MLAwith PTI inputs