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Shiv Sena’s Mahim candidate Sada Sarvankar, who is seeking re-election from the assembly constituency in Mumbai, said he has the blessings of all senior leaders of the Mahayuti
Shiv Sena candidate Sada Sarvankar is seeking re-election from Mahim in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections. (Image: @misadasarvankar/X)
Muslims will not vote for the MNS in the Maharashtra assembly elections, said Shiv Sena’s Mahim candidate Sada Sarvankar on Monday. He said he has informed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde about how the community will not extend its support to the party that had “demolished their dargah”.
Sarvankar, who is taking on Raj Thackeray’s son Amit Thackeray in the upcoming polls, said he has the blessings of all senior leaders of the Mahayuti. “Eknath Shinde ji called me, and I informed him that the Muslim community will not vote for the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), as the MNS demolished their dargah. Because of this, they will not support the MNS. Shinde ji asked me to convey all this to Raj Thackeray ji. I have worked for all sections of society,” he said.
He said he is carrying forward Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy. “I am a Shiv Sena candidate, carrying forward Balasaheb’s ideology. All senior leaders of the Mahayuti will give their blessings to me. The MNS is not part of the Mahayuti in the assembly election,” he added.
The Sena candidate has been in the news amid rumours of a rift in the ruling Mahayuti over the Mahim assembly constituency in Mumbai, which is known to be multicultural and home to several buildings of different faiths. The ruling alliance, however, has denied the speculation over their candidate, saying he has a stronger chance of winning than Amit Thackeray.
Amit is making his electoral debut, while Sarvankar is seeking re-election from Mahim. The Sena leader had earlier stressed that he will not withdraw from the fray even as the BJP has expressed keenness to back the MNS candidate.
“There is no question of my withdrawing from the race,” he had said last month. The Shiv Sena had said while the BJP was in favour of backing the MNS candidate, it will not be at the cost of Sarvankar as he was one of the 39 legislators who backed Shinde during the 2022 rebellion.
The BJP had maintained that this was an internal matter of the Shiv Sena. The MNS is not a part of Mahayuti, but it had supported the ruling alliance in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20, and the votes will be counted on November 23. Mumbai accounts for 36 assembly segments. November 4 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.
(With PTI inputs)
