Has CM Shinde convinced Govinda to contest Lok Sabha elections 2024 with Sena ticket?

Film stars have been shining on the electoral horizon. One such yesteryear Bollywood star, who had won a local Lok Sabha election twenty years ago, could again go to the people to seek votes in the ensuing polls. Speculation on Friday was that CM Eknath Shinde could have possibly convinced former MP Govinda Ahuja to be Shiv Sena's candidate from Mumbai North West against the Thackeray Sena's Amol Kirtikar.

In the neighbouring Mumbai North Central constituency, a staunch critic of the Modi government Swara Bhaskar's name was being taken, among others such as senior actor and former MP Raj Babbar, as candidates where BJP's Poonam Mahajan is reigning since 2014. Veteran actor-politician the late Sunil Dutt and his younger daughter Priya had together won several terms here as Congress nominees. Priya hasn't staked her claim to the nomination. Her recent social media post suggested that she was on a vacation with her family. She also denied rumours that she had made up her mind to quit the Congress to join the Shinde Sena.

Actor and former MP Raj Babbar; (right) Actress Swara Bhaskar

The Shinde Sena needs a strong candidate because the party's sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar has refused to contest against his son Amol, who had gone against the father's wishes to join Uddhav Thackeray. The Sena (UBT) has already announced Amol's candidature. In Shinde Sena, senior leader Ramdas Kadam's younger son Siddhesh wants to contest here and the Jogeshwari MLA Ravindra Waikar, who quit the Thackeray group recently, was also tipped to be a nominee. A star personality like Govinda could fit the situation, said a political observer.

While Shinde Sena wants it, BJP too is very interested in this constituency, because it has a strong presence here that gave the undivided Sena a good lead in Lok Sabha elections of the past. Since the Sena is split, the Shinde faction faces a hard battle here, feel the BJP workers. So, the BJP would attempt to cash in on the weakness of its ally. But CM Shinde's projection of Govinda as a winning bet might land his faction the said seat.

In 2004, Govinda had broken the BJP's five-term winning streak in Mumbai North. During his political tenure, the famous 'Virar ka Chokra' invited more criticism than accolades. Fed up, he quit politics before his five-year term ended. He has stayed away from politics since then. Govinda is reported to have met CM Shinde recently and that meeting triggered the talks of his comeback to the business of politics.

In Mumbai North Central Congress has some good names from within the local rank, and yet Swara Bhaskar's name has popped up. In 2019, the party had unsuccessfully fielded Urmila Matondkar from Mumbai North. Matondkar was among the twelve personalities, who the then MVA government had chosen to be the governor-nominated MLCs. But their names were never approved.

Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, who has travelled a long way from Janata Dal to Samajwadi Party to the Congress, is also being discussed as a candidate in North Central that includes a star-studded Bandra West. Babbar is a former Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh and ex-president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress. Former minister Arief Naseem Khan and former city Congress president Bhai Jagtap are among career politicians in contention.

Congress insiders said that in the seat-sharing talks held so far, there was agreement over the Congress's claim for Mumbai North Central, but the party's demand for South Central has been stalled by the Shiv Sena (UBT). The Congress has been asked to take either Mumbai North or North East instead. Of Mumbai's six seats, the Sena (UBT) will have four and the Congress two.

2004
Year Govinda contested from Mumbai North