In a fiercely contested electoral showdown, Aaditya Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), defeated Milind Deora by a margin of 8,801 votes in the high-profile Worli constituency battle. This victory marked a significant moment for the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) amid an otherwise difficult electoral day for the party.
Milind Deora, the former Congress MP, had made a dramatic shift earlier this year by joining the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena, setting the stage for a nail-biting Sena vs. Sena contest.
The race was an emotional one for both sides. Aaditya Thackeray, the son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, had made his electoral debut from Worli in 2019, winning by a substantial margin of over 67,000 votes. However, this contest was expected to be a closer one, as the Deora family had held significant sway in the Mumbai (South) Lok Sabha constituency for years. Milind Deora’s father, Murli Deora, served as the MP for this seat multiple times, cementing the Deora family’s political legacy in the region.
The electoral drama unfolded as the counting began, with Aaditya Thackeray initially leading but Milind Deora briefly surpassing him before Thackeray regained the upper hand. The results reflect the political shifts in the region, with Thackeray’s victory offering a much-needed boost for the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) after a tumultuous period following the party’s split.
In the lead-up to the election, Milind Deora had criticized Aaditya Thackeray and the Uddhav Thackeray faction for their perceived failure to develop the Worli constituency. However, Thackeray countered by highlighting the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s success in the Lok Sabha elections, accusing the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena of looting Maharashtra.
The political legacy of the Deora family in Mumbai (South) is well-established, with Milind Deora’s father, Murli Deora, having won the seat several times between 1984 and 1998. Milind Deora himself represented the area in the Lok Sabha in 2004 and 2009 before his shift to the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena.
Despite his family’s historical connection to the constituency, Deora was unable to overcome Thackeray’s stronghold, as Aaditya Thackeray’s victory signifies the continued dominance of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) in the area.
With this victory, Aaditya Thackeray maintains his position as a key figure within the Shiv Sena, solidifying his influence in Mumbai’s political landscape as the party works to regain strength after internal divisions.
The contest between the two political heavyweights underlined the ongoing shifts in Maharashtra’s political scene and the evolving power dynamics between the Shiv Sena factions.
Sources By Agencies
