Aaditya Thackeray Vs Milind Deora: Worli To Witness A High-Stakes Contest Between Two Senas
In its first electoral battle after the split, the Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, has decided to field Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and party chief Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray from the Worli assembly constituency for the upcoming assembly elections scheduled for November 20.
The candidacy of the three-time South Mumbai MP against the formidable rival Aaditya Thackeray comes a day after the latter filed his nomination from Worli. With this, the high-profile constituency has drawn national attention while setting the stage for a fierce battle with equally competent candidates.
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An undivided Shiv Sena stronghold, Aaditya won Worli by a margin of 67,427 votes during the 2019 assembly elections during his debut. After a short stint as a writer, it was in 2019 that the 34-year-old entered politics by contesting the elections from the Worli constituency in Mumbai. Upon successful candidature, he secured a Cabinet berth, becoming a minister for tourism, protocol, and environment under the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government following the split.
Aaditya comes with several organisational experience. In 2010, he was elected as president of the Yuva Sena besidens, serving as president of the Mumbai District Football Association in 2017. A law graduate, Aaditya has written poems and produced several songs. He has assets worth 17 crore, as per his affidavit filed before the election commission.
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Fielding an equally strong candidate, the rival Shiv Sena has posed a considerable threat to the Shiv Sena UBT’s prospects. A seasoned politician, Milind Deora has served several key positions, proving his organizational mettle, including as the Minister of State for Communications & Information and Technology and Shipping in the UPA government at the center.
Born in Rajasthan, Deora became an MP at the age of 27 and represented Mumbai South constituency for three times. He also comes with a political legacy, as his father, Murli Deora, was a prominent Congress figure. In addition, Deora has many things to boast about, including his role in transforming the city with urban infrastructure projects such as public sanitation, healthcare, and beautification initiatives.
Notably, as a move foreseeing the future, Deora, who joined the Shiv Sena in January, was given the responsibility of Worli in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, giving him an edge to sway the people of Worli when fielded as a Mahayuti candidate.
In addition to Deora and Thackeray, the candidature of Sandeep Deshpande from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would make the contest even more competitive. However, the stage for an intense battle has been set for the Worli constituency for the upcoming assembly elections.
As elections for the 288-member assembly near, the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have been campaigning tirelessly. The elections will be held in a single phase on November 20, and the result will be declared on November 13 along with the Jharkhand assembly polls result.
