The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today has unveiled its 15th list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Poonam Mahajan's candidacy has been dropped in favor of Ujjwal Nikam, the lawyer renowned for securing the death sentence for terrorist Ajmal Kasab, and who has advocated for the government in high-profile cases like the 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, and the Pramod Mahajan murder case.
Discussing Poonam Mahajan's political journey, she joined the BJP following her father Pramod Mahajan's assassination in 2006. She contested as an MP from Ghatkopar West in 2009 but was defeated. However, she emerged victorious from the Mumbai North Central seat in 2014, defeating Congress's Priya Dutt. It's noteworthy that Poonam is a trained pilot with training from Texas, USA, and harbors over 300 hours of flying experience. She completed her B.Tech degree in 2012 from the Brighton School of Business and Management.
The Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat has not been a stronghold for any particular party. BJP and Congress have both claimed victories in various terms. Candidates from Shiv Sena and the RPI have also been successful in winning from this constituency. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Poonam Mahajan clinched the seat, outperforming Congress leader Priya Dutt. Mahajan garnered 486,672 votes compared to Dutt’s 356,667 votes.
In 2014, the seat was won by BJP's Poonam Mahajan, and in 2009, Congress's Priya Dutt, daughter of Sunil Dutt, secured victory by defeating BJP’s Mahesh Jethmalani. In previous years, Eknath Gaikwad in 2004, Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi in 1999, and RPI's Ramdas Athawale in 1998 had dominated the constituency.
In 1996, Shiv Sena’s Narayan Athawale was victorious, and in 1991, it was Congress's Sharad Dighe. In 1989, Shiv Sena’s Vidyadhar Gokhale won by a slim margin against the Congress candidate, while Sharad Dighe secured a win for the Congress in 1984. Janata Party's Pramila Dandavate defeated the Congress candidate in 1980, and in 1977, CPI(M)'s Ahilya Rangnekar triumphed in the constituency.
