Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Shiv Sena-UBT To Contest Only 1 Of 21 Seats In Pune; NCP Secures 13, Congress 7

The impression created ahead of the assembly poll season by the Shiv Sena (UBT's) high-profile spokesperson Sanjay Raut that his party would contest at least three, if not five seats, in Pune city and several in Pune district, has gone bust.

There is utter disappointment among the Shiv Sena (UBT) cadres in the Pune district, as it has transpired that the party has been left with just one seat in all of the Pune district which has 21 seats; NCP (Sharad Pawar) has kept 13 seats in Pune for itself while seven seats will be contested by the Congress party.

Disappointment bordering on frustration is now evident among the Shiv Sena (UBT) cadres in Pune. The fallout of this will likely be defection in the coming days. Leaders and activists from Uddhav Thackseray’s party have been vocal during Sanjay Raut’s visit to Pune and on other occasions. Anticipating that their party could get three tickets in the MVA seat-share in Pune city, they sounded upbeat; however, the excitement was short-lived.

Statement Of Shiv Sena-UBT Leader Sanjay Raut

“We have grown in Pune, since the late 1980s. We now have the capacity to contest all eight seats in Pune city, as we have the force on the ground to do so but because we have alliance partners in the MVA, we will leave some seats for them. We will contest at least three city seats if not five of the eight and many more in rural parts of the district,” party MP Sanjay Raut had said at a rally and at a media conference in Pune just a month ago.

This encouraged leaders like former Hadapsar MLA Mahadev Babar and a fresh aspirant from Kothrud, Pruthviraj Sutar, to start campaigning and put up posters and hoardings in their constituencies.

“Both Babar and Sutar visited Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai and were made to wait for hours before they got a hearing for less than five minutes. Both were disappointed about their meeting with our leader and they have not been given a party ticket,” said an insider.

About The Lone Seat

Now, it has transpired that Shiv Sena (UBT) has been given just the lone Kothrud constituency seat, which is considered a BJP stronghold. In the 2019 polls Congress, Sharad Pawar’s NCP, and Raj Thackeray’s MNS had jointly fielded candidate Kishore Shinde in Kothrud, but he lost to BJP’s Chandrakant Patil. Shiv Sena (UBT) has decided to field Chandrakant Mokate as their candidate in Kothrud. Though the 2024 election is likely to be close, it is generally believed that the Kothrud seat may go to the BJP, as the MVA does not seem to be fully united in this constituency and does not have a formidable candidate. In such a case, it looks like Uddhav Thackeray’s party will have virtually no presence in the entire Pune city and district after the results are out.

Sharad Pawar’s NCP, which always cultivated Pune as its bastion, has not left any space for Uddhav Thackeray’s party in the district. This unexpected windfall has net Congress the Colaba seat, which was previously being eyed by Shiv Sena (UBT), to take on Speaker Rahul Narvekar, whose pro-BJP verdict had caused much din. In behind-the-scenes maneuvering, the Congress has swapped Kolhapur’s candidate with Madhurima Raje and introduced Hira Dewasi against Narvekar in Colaba, signaling the party’s subtle exercise of clout. With 103 seats allocated to the Congress, only Borivali and Mulund remain undecided in Mumbai.