Mahim MLA Sada Sarvankar travelled via motorcycle to file his nomination papers on Tuesday. Those close to the Shinde Sena leader said had learnt that a rally planned as a show of strength would be met with obstacles to ensure he didn’t reach the election office to file his papers before the 3 pm deadline. As MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray is contesting the Assembly election from the Mahim constituency, some leaders from the BJP appealed to the Shiv Sena to withdraw its claim on the constituency. Sarvankar, however, decided to enter the fray, claiming his leader Chief Minster Eknath Shinde had asked him to win the election.

A Shiv Sena office-bearer in Mahim said, “We came to know on Monday that if Sarvankar accompanied the rally while filing his nomination form, there was a possibility he would be hindered. There are many one-way routes in Dadar where the roads are narrow. So, it is easy for anyone to create traffic congestion in the area. Hence, we decided that Sarvankar, a few Shiv Sainiks and leaders of allied parties, including BJP, would go by bike directly from the Siddhivinayak Temple to Dr Antonio Da Silva High School and the rally would begin after his nomination was filed,” he added.