Maharashtra Assembly Polls: In Bhayandar, it's BJP vs BJP

(From left) Narendra Mehta and rebel candidate Geeta Jain

One of the easiest seats for the BJP has turned into a battleground of BJP vs BJP in Mira-Bhayandar. BJP's official candidate and sitting MLA Narendra Mehta and former mayor of Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, rebel Geeta Jain are facing off this poll.

While there are 10 other candidates contesting, including Congress's Muzaffar Husain, the main competition is between the former colleagues. Mira-Bhayandar is a recently formed assembly constituency and Gilbert John Mendonca won the seat on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket against Mehta by 10,000 votes in 2009.

However, in the 2014 assembly election, Mendonca lost to Mehta by about 31,000 votes. In 2012, the BJP-Sena alliance secured 43 seats in the civic election and Geeta served as mayor from February 2015 to August 2017.

In 2017's civic polls, Mendonca switched to the Sena. The BJP bagged 62 and Sena won 22 of the 95 seats and Geeta was re-elected as a Corporator. With this background, Mehta's candidacy and his win may appear easy but Geeta, preparing for polls for a year, has made it tougher.

There are 69% Hindus, 16% Muslims, 6% Christians and Jains each in Mira-Bhayandar. The Gujarati, Marathi and North Indian votes are important for every candidate and though Gujarati and Jain communities are traditional voters of the BJP, their inclination will be a key factor.

Sena leaders and workers miffed with Mehta over various issues in the civic body are unwilling to campaign for the BJP and have supported Geeta. Mendoca, who has a dedicated voter base in Uttan will also be a major factor. Besides, Geeta, contesting independently on the symbol of a bat, also has the support of some BJP corporators.

"Deendayal Upadhyay has said that a bad person cannot get your vote just because a good party has given him a ticket. If the party has committed this mistake, then it is the responsibility of the voters to correct it," Geeta told mid-day.

When asked if she will make amends with the BJP if elected, she said, "I have come to do jan neeti in politics. My priority is not a party, but the concerns of the public."

"I delivered on all the promises I made in the previous election. I have 62 corporators from the BJP who support me and if five or six rebel, it won't affect me much," said Narendra Mehta. On the other hand, Hussain has a vote bank and can fetch a few thousand votes but the bigger fight remains between the ex-colleagues.

Mira-Bhayandar results during the 2014 state poll

Narendra Mehta, BJP: 91,468
Gilbert Mendonca, NCP: 59,176
Yakub Qureshi, Congress: 19,489
Prabhakar Mhatre, Shiv Sena: 18,171

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