Ram Kadam Seeks Fourth Consecutive Win From Ghatkopar West (image: facebook.com/ram.kadam)

BJP leader Ram Kadam is looking for his fourth consecutive win from Mumbai’s Ghatkopar West constituency.

Kadam began his political career with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). In 2009, he joined MNS and fielded from Ghatkopar West in the assembly polls. He won the seat by defeating BJP leader Poonam Mahajan Rao by a margin of 26228 votes.

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In 2014, he quit MNS and joined BJP. He contested the Assembly polls on a BJP ticket and retained the seat by defeating Shiv Sena candidate Sudhir Sayaji More by a margin of 41,916 votes.

In the 2019 polls, Kadam secured his third consecutive win from Ghatkopar West by defeating the independent candidate Sanjay Bhalerao by a margin of 28,789 votes.

His social service initiatives like free ‘odomos’ distribution to watchmen and liftmen, organising a free pilgrimage tour to Kashi for 51,000 elderly people, and efforts in bringing water trains to drought-hit Latur in 2015 were well received among people.

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However, water scarcity, infrastructure degradation, and the slow pace of slum redevelopment work remain some of the important issues affecting the constituency, which in turn casts shadows over Kadam’s performance as a MLA and his prospects for a fourth win.

The 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra goes to polls on November 20.

The ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state consists of the BJP, the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the opposition, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

As election dates are coming closer, the Mahayuti alliance and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) are engaged in intense poll preparations. The Maharashtra Assembly elections mark the first after the Shiv Sena and NCP parties split in June 2022 and July 2023, respectively.