Lok Sabha elections 2019 Phase 4: A look at the contest on 17 seats in Maharashtra

Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha, will hold elections in 17 seats in the fourth round of the seven-phased general election on Monday.

This phase includes three parliamentary constituencies from western Maharashtra, four from Konkan region, four from north Maharashtra and six seats from Mumbai. It will be the last phase of polling as it will cover all the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Polling in 31 seats has already been held in the first three phases.

In Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, sitting Sena MP Arvind Sawant is facing competition from Congress candidate and the party’s Mumbai president Milind Deora for the second consecutive time. In 2014, Sawant had defeated Deora, the then MP, by a margin of over 1.28 lakh votes.

In Mumbai South Central constituency, sitting Sena MP Rahul Shewale will face-off senior Congress leader and former MP Eknath Gaikwad for the second time. Shewale had defeated Gaikwad by a margin of over 1.38 lakh votes in the last election. The constituency comprises Dharavi, the biggest slum area in Asia.

In Mumbai North West constituency, sitting Sena MP Gajanan Kirtikar and Congress’ former MP Sanjay Nirupam are contesting against each other. Kirtikar had defeated the then sitting MP and senior Congress leader Gurudas Kamat by a margin of over 1.83 lakh votes. Nirupam was the MP from Mumbai North constituency. On his request, Congress decided to change his constituency for the general polls.

Also read: Lok Sabha elections 2019 Phase 4 in numbers

In Mumbai North Central constituency, sitting BJP MP Poonam Mahajan is facing tough competition from former legislator Priya Dutt. Both the candidates come from political families — Mahajan is the daughter of late senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan and Dutt father was late actor and former MP Sunil Dutt. In 2014, Mahajan had defeated Dutt by a margin of over 1.86 lakh votes.

In Mumbai North constituency is facing another tight fight where the sitting BJP MP Gopal Shetty will have to defend the party’s bastion against Congress candidate and Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar. Shetty had defeated the then sitting MP Sanjay Nirupam by a huge margin of 4.46 lakh votes. Actor Govinda was also the MP in 2004-09. As Congress candidate, he had defeated veteran BJP leader Ram Naik.

In Kalyan, the Shiv Sena, looking to retain the seat, has fielded sitting MP Shrikant Shinde. Shinde will go up against the NCP’s Babaji Balram Patil.

Nandurbar, which had for long been a Congress bastion, was wrested by the BJP in 2014 with the victory of Dr. Heena Gavit over the Congress’s Gavit Manikrao Hodlya. Hodlya had won the Nandurbar seat since 1981 when he won from here in a bye-election. On Monday, the sitting MP, Dr Heena Gavit will go up against the Congress’s KC Padavi.

Also read: Maharashtra polling schedule

In Dhule the BJP’s Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre had won over Congress’s Amrishbhai Rasiklal Patel in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. This time around, the BJP has fielded its sitting MP Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre against the Congress’s Kunal Rohidas Patil.

Dindori, which was formed during the delimitation exercise of 2008, the BJP has won the two elections that have been held here, with Chavan Harishchandra Deoram winning it twice in a row. This time, the BJP has fielded former Congress member Dr Bharati Pawar. Dr Bharati Pawar had joined the BJP on March 22. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections which she had contested on the Congress ticket, she had been defeated by Chavan Harishchandra Deoram. This time around, Dr Bharati Pawar will go up against the CPI(M)’s Jeeva Pandu Gavit and the NCP’s Dhanraj Haribhau Mahale.

In Nashik, Shiv Sena’s Hemant Tukaram Godse had defeated veteran NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of nearly 2 lakh votes. This time around, the Shiv Sena will be looking for a repeat of Godse’s performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections against NCP’s Sameer Bhujbal, Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew.

Palghar, which was won in 2014 by BJP’s Chintaman Navasha Wanga, had to undergo bye polls in 2018 after Wanga passed away. The BJP’s Rajendra Gavit had won the byepolls. This time around, the BJP has once again fielded Rajendra Gavit.

In Bhiwandi, which the BJP won from the Congress in 2014 after the latter’s winning streak in four consecutive Lok Sabha elections since 1962, the contest will once again be between the BJP and the Congress. While the BJP will be looking to retain the seat, the Congress will be looking to win back its once erstwhile stronghold. The BJP has once again fielded Kapil Moreshwar Patil, the sitting MP, against Congress’s Suresh Kashinath Taware.

Thane, which has routinely been won by the Shiv Sena and the BJP with it swinging towards the NCP in 2009, the contest is between the NCP and the Shiv Sena. The NCP has fielded its sitting MP Vichare Rajan Baburao against the Shiv Sena’s Anand Paranjpe.

The Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha constituency has earlier been represented by leaders such as late Pramod Mahajan of the BJP and the late Gurdas Kamat of the Congress. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Kirit Somaya of the BJP defeated the 2009 winner Sanjay Dina Patil of the NCP. This time around, instead of fielding Kirit Somaiya, the BJP has fielded Manoj Kotak, who will go up against the NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil.

The Maval Lok Sabha constituency has consistently voted for the Shiv Sena since 2009. This time around too, the Shiv Sena will be looking to retain the seat and has fielded Adv. Kanade Sanjay Kisan as its candidate against the NCP’s Parth Pawar, the grand nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

The Shirur Lok Sabha constituency is currently held by Shiv Sena’s Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil. He was elected for a third consecutive term in 2014. Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil has been fielded once again by the Shiv Sena. Hoping to break the Sena’s hold over the seat, this time the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded Marathi actor Dr Amol Kolhe against him.

In Shirdi, Sadashiv Lokhande of the Shiv Sena had emerged victorious in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, defeating Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure of the Congress. Lokhande has been fielded once again by the Shiv Sena and will go up against Bhausaheb Kamble.

The counting of votes will be done on May 23, after the seventh and final phase of voting gets over on May 19.