Mumbai: In a closely contested election, Haroon Khan of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has emerged victorious in the Versova Assembly constituency, securing a total of 65,396 votes. He successfully edged out Dr. Bharti Lavekar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who garnered 63,796 votes, resulting in a narrow margin of just 1,600 votes. This outcome marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Versova, historically known as an Indian National Congress (INC) stronghold.
About The 2019 Assembly Elections
In the 2019 assembly elections, Dr. Bharti Lavekar took the seat for the BJP by defeating Baldev Khosa of the INC with a margin of 5,186 votes. Earlier, in the 2014 assembly elections, Dr. Lavekar’s predecessor, Dr. Bharti Hemant Lavekar, had won decisively against Khosa with a substantial margin of 26,398 votes—a testament to the BJP’s strengthening grip on this constituency during that period. The trend reported indicates a slight erosion of the BJP’s appeal, as voters appear to be gravitating towards the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction’s promises of change.
The 2009 assembly elections had seen Baldev Khosa from the INC win the seat, defeating Yashodhar Phanse of the Shiv Sena by a margin of around 12,030 votes, highlighting the constituency’s fluctuating allegiance in past elections.
About The Political Arena In Versova
This year, the political arena in Versova has been defined by a three-way race, featuring the BJP, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena. Dr. Bharti Lavekar’s candidacy for the BJP is complemented by Haroon Khan representing Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sandesh Desai from the MNS. Additionally, independent candidate Raju Pednekar has also entered the fray, further complicating the electoral dynamics by potentially splitting votes.
Registered voters in the Versova constituency tally an impressive 7,582,866, including 4,058,610 male voters, 3,523,436 female voters, and 820 voters from the third gender category. The electorate is showing increasing awareness and engagement in these elections, reflecting the broader socio-political changes occurring throughout Maharashtra.
