Changed loyalties, Baba Siddique murder to cast shadow on election in Bandra East
Bandra East was a Shiv Sena stronghold until the last Maharashtra assembly elections, but with a triangular contest this time, the outcome in this suburban Mumbai seat has become more unpredictable. Zeeshan Siddique, then with Congress, won from the constituency in 2019, defeating the undivided Shiv Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, a former mayor.
Zeeshan might have an edge due to the sympathy factor in the aftermath of his father, NCP leader and former Congress minister Baba Siddique's murder earlier this month.
But locals also say that his decision to join the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the BJP, could go against him as the constituency has a sizable Muslim population. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is part of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' alliance.
The Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has fielded Trupti Sawant, a former Shiv Sena MLA of the constituency. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Varun Sardesai, party leader Aaditya Thackeray's cousin and secretary of Yuva Sena, the party's youth wing.
The seat is prestigious for Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) as it is home to 'Matoshree', the residence of the Thackeray family. The sprawling constituency contains slums, a government housing colony, residential societies including Kala Nagar where noted Marathi literary figures once lived, new residential towers, and the business district of Bandra Kurla Complex or BKC.
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