Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: Mumbai sees 25 percent rise in candidates amid political splits

Out of the 65 candidates who withdrew from the race, 53 were from suburban constituencies and 12 from the city. File pic

A total of 420 candidates are contesting the Assembly elections across 36 constituencies in Mumbai, an increase from the 333 candidates who ran last time. Mahim, Chembur and Vile Parle have the fewest candidates, with six each, while Mankhurd and Jogeshwari East see the highest number with 22 candidates each. On the final day for withdrawals, 65 contestants, including Gopal Shetty from Borivli, pulled out of the race.

This election sees a 25 per cent increase in candidates compared to 2019, driven by the splits in Shiv Sena and NCP, as well as the decision by the MNS to contest independently. The rise in the number of smaller party and independent candidates also contributed to this increase. The final candidate count reached 420 after the deadline for withdrawals ended on Monday, November 4. Out of the 65 candidates who withdrew, 53 were from suburban constituencies and 12 from the city.

In Mahim, a high-stakes triangular battle is underway between the factions led by Shinde, Uddhav, and Raj Thackeray. This constituency has just six candidates, tied for the lowest number with Chembur and Vile Parle. Sewri (7), Wadala (9), Kandivli East (9), Charkop (9), and Magathane (8) also have fewer candidates, while Mankhurd and Jogeshwari East lead with 22 each. Dindoshi (19) and Malad West (18) also have a high number of contenders.

Shetty stands down

Sada Sarvankar of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena opted to stay in the Mahim race, choosing to compete against MNS candidate Amit Thackeray. However, Gopal Shetty, a former BJP MP who filed his nomination papers as an independent after being denied a party ticket, withdrew his nomination on the last day. The BJP managed to contain the potential intra-party conflict, resulting in a direct contest in Borivli between BJP's Sanjay Upadhyay and Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Bhosale.

Nov 20
Day Maharashtra goes to the polls