The area which is now a MNS fortress will see the BJP also eyeing for a spot in the upcoming civic elections
Dadar has always had a special significance in the city's political landscape. An erstwhile Shiv Sena stronghold, which later became an MNS bastion, Dadar is also being eyed by the BJP in the run-up to this civic election.
Besides the Sena Bhavan — Shiv Sena's central office, and Shivaji Park, where the party always holds its prestigious Dussera rally, Dadar also has a deep cultural and literary background associated with it.
For Shiv Sena, Dadar is an emotional issue. In his last address, Balasaheb Thackeray had urged all Shiv Sainiks to work hard and get the constituency back into Sena's fold. Sainiks have worked hard to gain the confidence of people of the constituency and managed to achieve victories in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Rahul Shewale, Member of Parliament from Central Mumbai won the Lok Sabha election and MLA Sada Sarvankar from Dadar West won the last civic polls. Now, the party's target is the forthcoming BMC elections.
For Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), on other hand, Dadar has a special place as Raj Thackeray stays in the area, and his first rally was held at Shivaji Park after the launch of his party. The party also managed to grab six seats in Dadar from the jaws of the Shiv Sena. This was a major victory for the party in the 2012 civic polls.
MNS is trying their best to defend their seats in the constituency. In the last civic election, MNS won all the six seats from the constituency, leaving Sena distraught. However, in this civic election, MNS is gearing up to face a stiff challenge in Dadar. The party is aggressively trying to retain the number of seats it won, and began planning strategically on campaigns and candidates.
While BJP has no significant past in this area, the party recently managed to get two senior Shiv Sena leaders from Dadar to join their forces. Union leader Sunil Ganacharya and ex-MLA Suresh Gambhi joined BJP recently, strengthening the party's position in the area. The party has been eyeing only one seat in the entire Dadar constituency — ward 191.
Party sources say that on analysis of the voting pattern in the Assembly elections, it was found that BJP candidate Vilas Ambekar had got the highest number of votes in this ward. The BJP, therefore, intends to claim this ticket from Shiv Sena if an alliance between the two parties works out.
For BJP, getting the ticket for ward 191 could become a matter of prestige, as it wants to mark its presence in Dadar. However, Shiv Sena may not want to part with this ward for the same reason.
While sources claim that Shiv Sena is planning to field ex-mayor Vishakha Raut in ward 191, MNS is planning to field Swapna Deshpande, wife of sitting corporator and party leader in the BMC Sandeep Deshpande. Party sources claim that BJP is planning to give the ticket to Medha Somaiyya, wife of MP Kirit Somaiyya.
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