Zeeshan Siddique, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and son of the late politician Baba Siddique, is currently trailing in Bandra East, Mumbai, as the vote count for the Maharashtra assembly elections continues. Siddique joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction last month, shortly after his father was allegedly killed by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Zeeshan was trailing by 2,260 votes at the time of writing, with Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Varun Satish Sardesai leading from the constituency.
Having previously won the Vandre East seat in 2019 as a Congress candidate, Siddique was expelled from the party earlier this year over allegations of cross-voting during the legislative council elections.
Varun is the nephew of Uddhav Thackeray.
Trupti Sawant, a former Shiv Sena MLA now representing the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), is also in the fray, turning the contest into a three-way battle.
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Bandra East Constituency
The Bandra East constituency was a focal point in the elections, characterised by its diverse demographic mix, including a substantial Marathi-speaking population, slum dwellers, and significant Dalit, Muslim, and migrant communities.
Established after the delimitation process, Bandra East falls within the Mumbai North Central parliamentary constituency.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Congress's Mumbai chief, Varsha Gaikwad, led in the Bandra East Assembly segment, securing a margin of 27,462 votes over BJP candidate Ujjwal Nikam, as the Mahayuti alliance trailed in the area.
Prakash (Bala) Sawant from the Shiv Sena secured the Bandra East seat in both the 2009 and 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Following his passing in January 2015, his wife, Trupti Sawant, contested the subsequent by-election and defeated former chief minister and Congress leader Narayan Rane by a margin of approximately 19,000 votes. In the years since, Narayan Rane has moved to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and currently serves as a Member of Parliament.