Many by-elections go unnoticed, while some create history. Mumbai has had its share of such elections, one of which gave the united Shiv Sena its first elected member of the state Assembly 52 years ago. The Andheri East by-election necessitated by the demise of its MLA is set to write another chapter for Shiv Sena, now divided into two warring groups that are testing the choppy waters for the first time after the split. On one side is the party founder’s son, Uddhav Thackeray, who is supported by the Congress and the Left that it previously fought tooth and nail, and on the other is the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is assisted by a Sena splinter, headed by Uddhav`s as well as his father’s former general, Eknath Shinde.

Regional pride at play

The contest is not just between the party leaders, who have been out to cut each other to size, but the grass roots of the parties and the voters. The voters come from various regional and ethnic groups that have been influencing the mandate. In Mumbai, caste politics does not matter as much as it does outside. Here, regional pride speaks for itself and is invoked by the stakeholders when opportunity arises. So, it becomes pertinent for the parties to impress upon the bigger voter blocks such as Marathis, north Indians and Gujaratis, who have a presence everywhere with a degree of varying influence. Andheri East is the one having a sizable number of Marathis, north Indians and Gujarati voters--in that order--who will choose between the Thackeray Sena and the BJP.