Lok Sabha elections 2024: Workers want Shinde Sena to keep Bhiwandi

The ongoing political turmoil within Mahayuti in Thane district shows no signs of abating. Recently, Shiv Sena Thane rural party workers have demanded that the Bhiwandi constituency be allocated to Shiv Sena, and they refuse to cooperate with the BJP candidate. Meanwhile, BJP leader MP Kapil Patil is gearing up to contest the election from the Bhiwandi constituency.

Maruti Dhirde, Thane rural head of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena said, "Shiv Sena has strength in Thane rural areas. That's why we should get this constituency. It is because of our support that the BJP candidate has been elected till now. We held a meeting of all office bearers and workers at Shahapur on Sunday. In this meeting, it was decided that Shiv Sena should contest the Bhiwandi constituency." BJP announced Union State Minister Kapil Patil as the candidate for the Bhiwandi constituency. Patil was elected as MP two times from the same constituency.

BJP leader MP Kapil Patil to contest from Bhiwandi

Since the split in Shiv Sena, there has been opposition to the candidature of Dr Srikant Shinde by BJP. Dr Shinde has been elected as an MP from Kalyan constituency twice. The candidature of Dr Shinde was opposed by BJP's local officials until last week. On Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that Dr Shinde will contest the election from the Kalyan constituency.

The Bhiwandi Lok Sabha constituency consists of six Assembly constituencies. Shantaram More in Bhiwandi Rural, and Vishwanath Bhoir in Kalyan West are two Shiv Sena MLAs. BJP's Mahesh Choughule in Bhiwandi West and Kisan Kathore in Murbad are BJP MLAs. In Shahapur constituency, Daulat Daroda is NCP MLA, and Rais Shaikh is SP MLA from Bhiwandi East. In January, BJP MLA from Dombivli Ganpat Gaikwad opened fire on Shiv Sena officials at Hill Line Police Station in Ulhasnagar.

Thane constituency is the home pitch of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. However, according to the information given by the sources, the BJP has also claimed this constituency. In the last two Lok Sabha elections, Rajan Vichare of undivided Shiv Sena was elected as MP from Thane constituency. After the split in the party, Vichare supported Shiv Sena UBT. The party announced Vichare as a candidate for the Thane constituency, while Mahayuti has not yet declared a candidate for Thane.

The Sunday meeting in Shahpur

Until 1991, the BJP MP was contesting elections from the Thane constituency. Due to the insistence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's political mentor Anand Dighe, BJP gave this constituency to Shiv Sena. Since then, the candidate of Shiv Sena has been contesting elections from this constituency. Shiv Sena Thane rural workers at Sawant Maidan in Shahapur on Sunday

January
Month BJP MLA fired upon Shiv Sena officials in Ulhasnagar