Maharashtra assembly elections: BJP neta wants party to claim Jogeshwari seat from Shinde Sena

Ujwala Modak (fourth from left) with Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis

Local BJP leaders are eyeing the Jogeshwari Assembly seat, which is currently represented by Shiv Sena faction leader Ravindra Waikar, part of the Shinde Shiv Sena camp. Ujwala Modak, a four-time corporator from Jogeshwari East, recently met with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to push for the BJP to claim the Jogeshwari seat during the seat-sharing negotiations with its alliance partner.

Modak told mid-day, "I have asked our state leadership to claim the Jogeshwari seat. It is the party's decision on who will be the candidate for this seat. I am one of the candidates interested in contesting from this Assembly seat."

Ravindra Waikar, MLA, Jogeshwari. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE

Modak added, "Waikar, who contested from Mumbai North West, failed to gain a lead in the Assembly constituency where he is the sitting MLA. Most of Waikar's lead in the Lok Sabha polls came from constituencies represented by BJP MLAs. Even the ward I represent as a corporator gave Waikar a lead during the general elections. The BJP has a strong presence in this area, and the party should get the Jogeshwari Assembly seat to contest the upcoming state elections."

In 2014, Ujwala Modak ran for the Jogeshwari constituency as a BJP candidate when the BJP and Shiv Sena contested separately. "I wasn't prepared for the election, but the party asked me to run. Despite that, I managed to secure 43,804 votes. This time, we're prepared, which means we'll get more votes than in the last election," Modak said.

"It is pre-decided that the constituency will go to the party that won the last election. We won the last three elections. Even for Lok Sabha elections the same formula was followed. Anyone can make a demand, there is nothing to prevent one from raising a demand," said Ravindra Waikar.

In the Assembly 2014 election, Waikar secured 72,767 votes. Waikar, a five-time corporator and three-time MLA from Jogeshwari, was once close to Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT). However, a few weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Waikar joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He won the Lok Sabha election by a margin of just 48 votes against UBT candidate Amol Kirtikar.

According to Election Commission data, Kirtikar led by 11,229 votes in the Jogeshwari constituency, with additional leads of 1,701 votes in Dindoshi and 21,090 votes in Versova, a BJP stronghold. Waikar, however, secured his largest lead of 70,562 votes in the Goregaon constituency, another BJP-dominated area.

He also gained a 10,000-vote lead in Andheri East, which is dominated by UBT MLAs, and a lead of 221 votes from the BJP-dominated part of Andheri East.

43,804
No. of votes secured by Ujwala Modak in 2014 Assembly poll