However, notably absent were any references to the other Mahayuti alliance partners, the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). There were no flags, nor any pictures of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde or Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“We have functionaries from all parties in my rallies and yatras,” Zeeshan told ThePrint. “Everyone is welcome because, for me, this election is more than just about political parties. It’s an emotional election.”
“The amount of work we have done is out for everyone to see. The people here have seen the sacrifices made by my family. So, I know people are going to vote for me,” he added.
Zeeshan, who won his first election in 2019 on a Congress ticket, is now seeking re-election from Vandre (Bandra) East—the backyard of Matoshree, the iconic residence of the Thackeray family.
This time, he faces a challenge from debutant Varun Sardesai, cousin of Aaditya Thackeray and the candidate for Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Sardesai has been active in politics as a member of Yuva Sena, Shiv Sena UBT’s youth wing.
While Zeeshan is asking for votes by reminding people of the work he did during his tenure and by his late father, Sardesai is banking heavily on his education and a blemish-free image.
“Yes, people might sympathise with Zeeshan on a personal level because of what he has been through, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into votes. He is trying to confuse voters. In Muslim-majority areas, he avoids using the BJP logo or flags during his campaign. However, people are aware that a vote for him ultimately supports the BJP,” Varun told ThePrint.
In the 2019 Maharashtra elections, when the undivided Shiv Sena and the Congress fought against each other, Zeeshan won against Sena’s Vishwanath Mahadeshwar by a margin of about 5,800 votes.
Bandra East is considered a high-profile constituency as it is home to Matoshree. Over 80 percent of the area comprises slums and old government colonies, with a significant Marathi-speaking population.
It also houses a mix of Muslim and Dalit communities, particularly in the slum pockets. Adding to its diversity is a small upscale segment, thanks to its proximity to the Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai’s commercial hub.
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Zeeshan vs Varun
Baba Siddique began his political career with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress.
After 48 years with the Congress, Siddique had joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP in February this year. He was elected as a corporator of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on a Congress ticket in 1992 and 1997. In 1999, he contested the Maharashtra elections and won in Bandra West as a Congress candidate, retaining the seat in 2004 and 2009.
However, his murder on 12 October changed things drastically. In the last week of October, Zeeshan joined the NCP under Ajit Pawar’s leadership and was nominated as the candidate for Bandra East. This came after his expulsion from the Congress earlier in August.
“In the time of the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi), I faced a lot of problems from the Shiv Sena (UBT). They did not let me work, fund allocation was unfair, and none of my leaders stood up for me. And then my own seat, the seat I had won for the Congress, they gave it to the Shiv Sena (UBT). So, I did not have any choice but to join another party,” Zeeshan told ThePrint.
“Ajit dada has always stood up for me, and I am happy to join the person who stood up for me in these tough times,” he added.
On the other hand, Varun has been working as a backroom manager for the Yuva Sena for almost a decade now. Apart from being Aaditya Thackeray’s maternal cousin, he is credited for the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s successes in senate and graduate elections of Mumbai University.
He also holds an MS degree in civil engineering from New York’s Columbia University—a placard and banner that is not missed in his rallies—apart from a graduate degree from Mumbai University. Workers of his party have been brandishing “double graduate” placards at poll rallies.
Meanwhile, in connection with the murder of Siddique, the Mumbai Police’s Crime branch has so far arrested at least 24 people. The Maharashtra government has maintained a studied silence on the subject.
A three-way contest?
In Bandra East, the Congress secured 30 percent votes in 2019, the undivided Shiv Sena 26 percent, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) 10 percent and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) 8 percent, according to Election Commission data.
Shiv Sena rebel Trupti Sawant, who had contested as an Independent, got 19 percent votes that year. Trupti, whose husband Prakash (Bala) Sawant was the Shiv Sena MLA from the seat in 2014, will this year contest from the seat on an MNS ticket.
After the demise of Bala Sawant in 2015, Trupti had asked the Shiv Sena for a ticket in 2019. However, she was denied it and instead former mayor, the late Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, was nominated.
Trupti rebelled and contested as an Independent, winning 24,000 votes. She is now seeking votes in the name of her husband.
“I want to carry forward the work that was done by Bala Sawant. He has worked hard for this constituency and post his death, the work started by him is unfinished. I want you to help me win this election, so I can continue the work done by Bala Sawant,” Trupti said at a rally Sunday.
However, Varun told ThePrint that “people are realising that voting for Trupti Sawant means there would be vote division”.
“In 2019, the Shiv Sena gave a ticket to Mahadeshwar and at that time Trupti Sawant fought as an Independent. She got a lot of votes because she played the sympathy card, and Zeeshan won because of the vote division. So, I don’t see that (her candidature) as an issue at all. She has changed multiple parties in the last five years, and people are seeing this,” he said.
Even Zeeshan is undeterred. “Not just Varun or Trupti, a couple of other Independents are also contesting against me,” he said. “When I contested on a Congress ticket, nobody thought I would win, but I did. So this should be considerably comfortable.”
Apart from these three main contenders, Kunal Sarmalkar, an office-bearer of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, is contesting as an Independent from Bandra East.
Appeals to public
In the rallies of Varun, emphasis is given on his educational background. He has also been holding street-corner meetings and largely taking up issues related to redevelopment of old dilapidated buildings and cleaning up of the Mithi river.
“I am a civil engineer by profession. I have studied from Columbia University, the same university from where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar studied. Since I have a Master’s degree in civil engineering, I understand these problems. So just trust me once,” he tells voters from government colonies.
He is also aware of the threat of vote-division. In the government colonies, he has been doing a door-to-door campaign and warning people about it.
“Many people would come here; they will show you a lot of incentives, show you government resolutions released just an hour before the model code of conduct kicked in. This time, the opposition has once again given a ticket to (Trupti) Sawant from MNS and (Kunal) Sarmalkar is contesting as an Independent. They are trying to divide our traditional votes, and once again the BJP and its allies are trying to help Zeeshan Siddique,” he said at a chowk in one of the government colonies Friday.
“So all our Marathi people need to be very careful and aware.”
He further appealed to the people that in Matoshree’s backyard, the Shiv Sena (UBT) should be the winning party.
Meanwhile, Zeeshan is aware that the BJP’s ‘Batenge toh katenge‘ or ‘Ek hain toh safe hain‘ slogans won’t give him dividends, especially in the Muslim-dominated areas.
“I haven’t got the time to understand what is happening around me. I am only focusing on Vandre East. I do not endorse any hateful comment. Nor even Ajit Pawar. He also has made his stand very clear,” Zeeshan told ThePrint.
In his campaign, Zeeshan’s father Baba Siddique features heavily. According to Zeeshan, he has been hearing about new threats to his life, but is fighting on because of the strength he gets from his father.
At his rallies and corner meetings, Zeeshan never fails to remind people of his father’s work.
“My father laid his life in service to the people of this constituency,” Zeeshan said at a rally. “People say that on the day of his murder, those murderers wanted to kill both of us. But in his last moments, my father fulfilled his duty and protected me instead. And I am alive today for some reason. And that reason is that my father all his life struggled and fought for poor people and I have to now continue that fight,” he added.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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