Mumbai: With Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 around the corner, the poll bugle has sounded across political parties. On Sunday, the BJP became the first major party to declare its candidates with the first list, consisting of 99 names. Key leaders like Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, and many other sitting MLAs were included. One of such sitting MLA renominated was Manda Mhatre from Belapur constituence. With lack of strong opposition, Mhatre looks at retaining the seat.
The ruling Mahayuti, consisting of the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, will square off with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), consisting of the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar-led NCP. This will be the second such direct contest between Mahayuti and MVA after the Lok Sabha face-off.
Belapur- A Key Constituency In Navi Mumbai
This is probably the first assembly election in Maharashtra with so many parties in the fray. After the division in Shiv Sena and NCP, the people of Maharashtra now have six major parties to vote for.
One of the key constituencies in Maharashtra is Belapur (151) which falls in the city of Navi Mumbai and is part of Thane Lok Sabha constituency. Since its formation, Navi Mumbai has been broadly led by Shiv Sena and NCP (undivided) while, later BJP got hold of the constituency.
The BJP has renominated sitting MLA Manda Mhatre from Belapur for 2024 assembly elections. Mhatre, the ‘aagri’ community leader is a two-term MLA from Belapur. In 2014, she snatched the constituency from powerful local leader Ganesh Naik from the NCP. In 2019, Naik, however, left the NCP to join BJP.
Although Navi Mumbai has several immigrants settling in, the major voter count still holds with the local ‘aagri community’- the bhoomiputras. Coming from aagri community, Mhatre has a strong electoral hold.
Since former bureaucrat Vijay Nahata has entered politics, he has been giving tough contest in Belapur for corporation, assembly and parliamentary polls. Ahead of 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, Nahata has exited the Shiv Sena and joined the NCP-led by Sharad Pawar. It is very likely that NCP (SP) member Nahata will be fielded by MVA against Mahayuti’s candidate Manda Mhatre in Belapur.
Constituency Performance In Lok Sabha 2024 Polls
Belapur falls in the Thane Lok Sabha constituency. In Lok Sabha 2024, total of 2,03,214 people voted, of which 1,02,974 had gone to the winning candidate Naresh Mhaske from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. 90,662 votes were given to the trailing candidate former MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Rajan Vichare.
Past Assembly Poll Results
From 1990, the Belapur constituency was single-handedly led Ganesh Naik, who was with Shiv Sena first and later with NCP. In 2014, BJP’s Manda Mhatre defeated Naik with a mere margin of 1,491 votes. In 2019, Mhatre defeated NCP’s Ashok Gawade with a hefty margin of 43,597 votes.
Vijay Nahata (now in NCP-SP) in 2014 assembly polls had got 50,983 votes, mere 3000 less than local leader Ganesh Naik.
About Belapur Assembly Seat
The seat is not reserved and is allotted for General Category candidates. During 2019 assembly elections, the registered voters in Belapur were 3,85,993, of which male voters were 2,08,225 and female were 1,77,764. The voter turnout for this constituency was around 45.23 per cent.
Current situation in Maharashtra Assembly:
Currently, the ruling disposition in Maharashtra has 202 MLAs with it. Out of these, BJP has 102 seats, NCP (Ajit Pawar) has 40, Shiv Sena (Shinde) has 38 and other parties have 24.
The MVA has 69 seats in its kitty, of which Congress has 37, Shiv Sena (UBT) has 16, NCP (Sharad Pawar) has 12 and other parties have six seats. Fifteen seats are vacant.
The election for the 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.