Maharashtra Assembly elections: Shinde Sena eyeing BJP-held seats in Navi Mumbai

Ganesh Naik, Airoli MLA

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction appears to be in a tussle with the Bharatiya Janata Party over Assembly seats in Navi Mumbai. Shiv Sena leaders have staked a claim on the Belapur and Airoli constituencies, represented by BJP legislators Manda Mhatre and Ganesh Naik respectively.

Vijay Chougule, district head of Shiv Sena's Navi Mumbai unit, said, "We are willing to contest Belapur and Airoli. I wish to contest the latter seat. I have had a word with my leader. I will decide my course of action after my party takes a decision on seat sharing."

Vijay Chougule, district head, Shiv Sena's Navi Mumbai unit

He added, "Even in 2019 we were willing to contest both constituencies. But at the time, I took a step back." The Chougule and Naik families have always been at loggerheads. Ganesh Naik and Mhatre did not respond to mid-day's calls by press time.

The Airoli constituency was created in 2009. Sandeep Naik, son of Ganesh Naik, won from the constituency in 2009 and 2014 on a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket. Both these times, he was up against Chougule, the undivided Shiv Sena candidate. The then-NCP leader, however, won by a margin of 12,000 votes in 2009 and 10,000 in 2014.

Ganesh Naik, a former minister, started his career in the Shiv Sena. He won his first Assembly election from Belapur in 1990. He also won the 1995 poll. Later, he joined the NCP, but he lost the 1999 election. He then went on to win in 2004 and 2009 but was defeated by Mhatre in 2014.

The Naik family then joined the BJP and Ganesh Naik contested the Assembly election from Airoli in 2019.

12,000
Margin by which Sandeep Naik won Airoli seat in 2009