Varsha Eknath Gaikwad Congress' Mumbai North Central Candidate

Varsha Eknath Gaikwad has been declared as the Congress candidate to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North Central parliamentary constituency of Maharashtra. Current Member of Legislative Assembly from Mumbai”s Dharawi, Ms Gaikwad is also the President of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC).

A former minister in Maharashtra”s MVA government, Ms Gaikwad is born on August 18, 1975, in Mumbai, and hails from a family with a rich political legacy. She completed her education in Mumbai and pursued a career in public service, following in the footsteps of her father, Eknath Gaikwad, a prominent figure in Maharashtra politics.

Gaikwad”s political journey began at a young age, and in 2009, she made her mark in Maharashtra politics by winning the assembly elections from the Dharavi constituency, a sprawling slum in Mumbai known as Asia”s largest. Her victory was historic, making her the youngest MLA from Mumbai at the time.

Earlier, the candidacy of the vibrant leader from Mumbai seats was a concern in MVA (a regional alliance of Opposition INDIA alliance parties in Maharashtra) was an issue as the she wanted to contest from Mumbai South Central, from where her father was elected an MP.

In an effort to address the concerns of Ms Gaikwad, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has suggested to the Congress that she be nominated from the Mumbai North Central constituency. However, in the initial stage, the Congress was advocating for the Sena (UBT)”s former corporator, Tejasvee Ghosalkar, to contest the elections on a Congress ticket from Mumbai North. This proposal comes amidst recent tragic events, as Tejasvee”s husband, Abhishek, was fatally shot during a live Facebook event by notorious criminal Mauris Norhona.

Ms Varsha was also critical of the seat sharing deal Congress finalised with its alliance partners Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar).