Maharashtra will conduct polling in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies, including six in Mumbai, on Monday, marking the fifth and final phase of the state's general elections. Key candidates include Union Ministers Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North), Bharati Pawar (Dindori), and Kapil Patil (Bhiwandi) from the BJP. Notable nominees also feature Ujjwal Nikam (Mumbai North Central) and city Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad (Mumbai North Central). Shiv Sena's Shrikant Shinde is contesting from Kalyan.
The 6 Mumbai Lok Sabha Seats
Over 2.46 crore voters across the state are eligible to cast their ballots and determine the fate of 264 candidates, with a focus on Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai South Central, and Mumbai South constituencies.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which includes Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar, is a key area in this election. It is one of the most urbanised regions in the country and holds major political importance.
In Mumbai, the total electorate includes 1,31,38,526 men, 1,15,28,278 women, and 2,740 persons from the third gender.
The Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, fielded candidates in Mumbai South, Mumbai North West, and Mumbai South Central. The BJP nominated candidates in Mumbai North, Mumbai North Central, and Mumbai North East constituencies.
The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, contested Mumbai South, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai North East, and Mumbai North West, as part of its seat-sharing agreement with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners NCP (SP) and Congress. Congress fielded candidates in Mumbai North Central and Mumbai North.
Security measures in Mumbai are robust, with nearly 30,000 personnel deployed to ensure smooth voting. This includes 2,752 officers, 27,460 other personnel, three units of the riot control police, five Additional Commissioners of Police, 25 Deputy Commissioners of Police, and 77 Assistant Commissioners of Police. Additionally, 5,000 policemen, 6,200 home guards, and 36 units of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) were brought from outside.
'Outsider' vs 'Bhoomi Putra': The Battle Of Mumbai North Seat
In Mumbai North, BJP leader and party's candidate from the Mumbai North seat, also a Union Minister, Piyush Goyal confronted the "outsider" label as he went head-to-head with Congress candidate Bhushan Patil, who emphasised his identity as a "bhoomi putra" (son of the soil) in the May 20 election.
Goyal found himself in a direct contest with Patil, who has leveraged his local roots to connect with voters. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and Congress leader Varsha Gaikwad previously labelled Goyal an "outsider".
Dismissing these claims, Goyal told PTI, "There can be nobody more Mumbaikar than me." He added, "I am a born Mumbaikar. Lived in Mumbai all my life, worked in Mumbai all my life".
Goyal, a Rajya Sabha MP and son of former BJP minister Vedprakash Goyal and Chandrakanta Goyal, a three-term BJP MLA from Matunga, established his deep ties to Mumbai. Meanwhile Bhushan Patil positioned himself as a "Maharashtrian" local, seeking to maximise his appeal among voters by involving his Gujarati Jain wife in his campaign to attract BJP's traditional Gujarati vote bank. Patil also received backing from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinod Ghosalkar, whose son, former corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar, was killed earlier this year.
Another candidate in the fray is Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's advocate Sonal D Gondane.
Mumbai North has traditionally been a BJP stronghold, with former Union Minister Ram Naik winning five consecutive elections from 1989 to 2004. Actor Govind, a Congress candidate, defeated Naik in 2004, followed by Congress's Sanjay Nirupam in 2009. Gopal Shetty reclaimed the seat for BJP in 2014 and 2019 but was not fielded this time, with Goyal taking his place, however, actively campaigned with Goyal.
Of Maharashtra's 48 Lok Sabha seats, 35 have already seen polling in four phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, and May 13. The votes will be counted on June 4.
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