Can Shiv Sena UBT's Sanjay Bhosale Break BJP Citadel Borivali?
Borivali, one of the notable assembly constituencies in Maharashtra, cast votes on Wednesday, November 20, for the 2024 state assembly elections. A BJP stronghold for decades, Borivali has been represented by Sunil Dattatray Rane since 2019. The party has, however, decided to replace his candidacy by fielding a fresh face, Sanjay Upadhyay.
Notably, there had been rebels within the party as senior BJP leader Gopal Shetty initially decided to file a nomination. Though he later agreed to withdraw his nomination, the former Borivali MLA maintained that his opposition was not against the saffron party but the manner in which decisions were taken without adequate consultancy.
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Shetty has successfully contested from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, but the party denied him the ticket in 2024, picking union minister Piyush Goyal. Disappointed, Shetty and his supporters were hoping he would be fielded from the Borivali seat. However, the party’s decision to nominate Sanjay Upadhyay further infuriated Shetty, leading to his nomination earlier.
A constituency that the Congress represented till 1972 since its formation in 1952, the Shiv Sena UBT has fielded Sanjay Waman Bhosale as an MVA candidate from Borivali. During the 2019 assembly elections, BJP’s Rane, aligning with undivided Shiv Sena, defeated Congress candidate Kumar Khilare by a margin of 95,021 votes.
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Though the BJP has been ruling the constituency for decades, it has been facing several pressing issues, including traffic congestion caused by pending development plans (DP) roads. Works on the BEST terminal and parking plans outside Borivali station are still pending, in addition to the pollution due to the private building redevelopments.
The MVA candidate has highlighted the failure of the different BJP MLAs to bring about development in the constituency. He noted that several areas of the constituency face troubles such as traffic congestion, water shortage, lack of a big college, and the absence of major health care facilities. The Shiv Sena UBT leader also promised to work on the pending projects and address other issues if they form a government after the elections. “Why not develop an IT park in the Borivali constituency? There is also potential to create tourism spots in our area,” The Free Press Journal quoted Bhosale.
Given the decades-long anti-incumbency, it is observed that MVA candidate has the opportunity to break the BJP citadel in Borivali. The rebellion within the BJP members in the constituency, especially due to the denial of ticket to Shetty is also analysed to possibly hit the party’s poll prospects.
