BJP: BJP Repeats 13 Sitting MLAs in Mumbai Assembly Polls, Surprises with Candidate Choices | Mumbai News

Mumbai: On BJP‘s first list of candidates for the assembly polls, 13 sitting MLAs have been repeated for Mumbai’s constituencies, and the brother of the party’s city unit president Ashish Shelar, former corporator Vinod Shelar, has been nominated from Malad West. In all, the party’s first list has candidates for 14 Mumbai seats. No candidate has been announced for Borivali, Versova, and Ghatkopar East, raising questions about sitting MLAs Sunil Rane, Bharati Lavekar and Parag Shah.
Assembly Speaker and Colaba MLA Rahul Narwekar has been nominated for the second time, while Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha stands renominated for the sixth time.The others on the list are Kalidas Kolambhkar, a Narayan Rane loyalist renominated from Wadala, Tamil Selva from Sion-Koliwada, Ashish Shelar from Bandra West, Parag Alavani from Vile Parle, Ameet Satam from Andheri West, Vidya Thakur from Goregaon, Yogesh Sagar from Charkop, Atul Bhatkalkar from Kandivali East, Manisha Choudhary from Dahisar, and Ram Kadam from Ghatkopar West. Mihir Kotecha, who lost the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North-East, has been renominated from Mulund.
The list has surprised many as it retained most of the sitting MLAs when there was speculation that several would be dropped for their lack of performance in the last five years. Shelar said all those who can win, enjoy the people’s confidence, and speak about Mumbaikars’ issues have been given tickets. “I am contesting the election for the fourth time, and I am confident with people’s and party leaders’ blessings that I shall win. As far as Vinod Shelar is concerned, he is originally from the RSS and has been working for 30 years with the party and has got an opportunity and will also win,” he said.
Ramesh Singh Thakur was the party’s candidate from Malad West in the 2019 elections. He lost to Congress’ Aslam Shaikh. Thakur this time was keen on Kandivali East, where he built two residential complexes, Thakur Village and Thakur Complex. But BJP renominated Bhatkalkar for the third time.
In 2019, the party contested 17 seats in Mumbai and won 16. “In 2022, it contested the Andheri East assembly by-election following the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke. Murji Patel was the candidate, but withdrew after MVA leaders requested that there should not be a contest. Latke’s wife Rutuja won the by-election. It was expected the party would lay a claim to this seat in this election. We shall now have to wait for the second list to see if it will do so,” said a source.