Maharashtra Elections 2024: Upset Over Bandra West Congress Candidate, Workers Join BJP

Mumbai: Expressing displeasure over the declaration of candidate by the Congress in Bandra West Constituency, the office-bearers of the Congress in Khardanda area joined the BJP on Wednesday. The workers were welcomed by the Mumbai BJP president and Bandra West constituency candidate Ashish Shelar.

"The support received by the Mahayuti government is a testament that the Mahayuti will come to power again in Maharashtra," Ashish Shelar said.

The Congress has fielded Asif Zakaria from Bandra West constituency against two-term BJP's sitting MLA Ashish Shelar. Zakaria was fielded by Congress in the 2019 elections also, and Shelar defeated him by 26,507 votes. While during 2014 elections, Congress had fielded late Baba Siddique and he lost the seat to Shelar by 26,911 votes.

The Congress workers who joined the BJP on Monday including the president of Mari Aai Mandir Trust Bhalchandra Koli, trustee Laxman Koli, Khardanda Gaothan Sangh secretary Sandeep Kema, Sushant Koli and other members including Vilas Vandar, Vilas Gulam and priest Dinesh Parab joined the BJP party.

The local politics in Bandra has taken a new turn after NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder. The long-term Congress leader had left the party to join NCP-Ajit Pawar faction before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While his son, Zeeshan Siddique, who is sitting MLA from Bandra East from Congress, left the party last week to join NCP-Ajit Pawar. He is now been fielded from NCP from Bandra East.

The deadline to file the nominations for the Maharashtra assembly elections ended yesterday (October 29). The voting for thee 288 assemblies in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and results will be declared three days after that.