In a bold move, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) announced candidates for 16 constituencies in Maharashtra on Wednesday, sparking tensions within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Highly anticipated was the announcement of Anil Desai for the South-Central Mumbai Lok Sabha seat—a choice that pits the Uddhav faction directly against Congress's preference for Varsha Gaikwad. Sanjay Raut's tweet laid bare the escalating political drama.
Source: aajtak
The Chosen Ones
The party has issued tickets to Narendra Khedekar from Buldhana, Sanjay Deshmukh from Yavatmal-Washim, Sanjog Waghmare Patil from Maval, Chandrakant Khaire from Sambhajinagar, and Sanjay Jadhav from Parbhani, among others. Each candidate brings a unique dynamic to the fore, intensifying the upcoming electoral battle.
Notably, Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar has previously expressed dissatisfaction, declaring the Uddhav Shiv Sena alliance non-existent before MVA could even announce its candidates.
Profiles of Shiv Sena UBT's 17 Candidates
Arvind Sawant
At 72, Arvind Sawant is a veteran politician hailing from South Mumbai. A loyal member of the Sena, he has served two terms in Parliament and remained with Uddhav's faction despite the split in the party. His notable victories include defeating Congress's Milind Deora twice in 2014 and 2019. A brief minister of heavy industries in 2019 under the NDA, Sawant stayed true to his party when it severed ties to form MVA with Congress and NCP. Renowned for being an active member of Sena worker unions, Sawant is recognized for his confrontations with Modi's government even on the parliamentary floor.
