The Shiv Sena (UBT) reiterated on Friday that it remains firm on contesting 23 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. The party insists on fielding candidates in the following seats: Ramtek, Buldhana, Yavatmal-Washim, Hingoli, Parbhani, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nashik, Palghar, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North West, Mumbai South, Mumbai North East, Mumbai South Central, Raigad, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Maval, Shirdi, Dharashiv, Kolhapur, Hathkangale, and Akola.

Candidates from the party who won 12 of these seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls have defected to the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde). Sanjay Raut, the Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson, stated that despite these MPs deserting the party, the voters who elected them in the last polls remain loyal to the organisation.

UBT eager to defeat MPs who ‘ditched’ the party

The Shiv Sena (UBT) is particularly eager to defeat MPs like Rahul Shewale, “who ditched the party”. It is reported that a strong candidate has already been identified by the SS (UBT) to challenge Shewale.

The Congress has expressed its objection to Raut’s “tall claim.” However, he stated that he did not care much about Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Nana Patole and local leaders of the party. He mentioned that the final decision rests with the party high command, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and KC Venugopal. He also reminded the Congress that since it did not win a single seat, it has to “start from zero”.

UBT likely to field MP Arvind Sawant in South Mumbai

According to political observers, initially, all parties in an alliance tend to pitch their demands very high, and later they may climb down. In South Mumbai, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to field its sitting MP Arvind Sawant, a trade union leader. The Congress is likely to field Milind Deora, who previously represented the constituency and has maintained good relations with the voters.

Meanwhile, the BJP is likely to repeat Gopal Shetty and Manoj Kotak in Mumbai North West and North East. Both have an excellent track record and the winnability factor in their favor. The BJP is also keen on repeating Poonam Mahajan, who has a substantial social media following, from Mumbai North Central. She is the daughter of the late BJP veteran Pramod Mahajan and possesses excellent oratorical skills.