Mira Bhayandar: The Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a major setback ahead of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) elections, as a former legislator and three ex-corporators from the coastal areas of Uttan near Bhayandar joined the Shiv Sena-led by former deputy chief minister-Eknath Shinde on Wednesday.
Former legislator- Gilbert Mendonca along with ex-corporators- Bernard D’mello, Sharmila Bagaji and Govind Georgy jumped into the Shinde-led Sena in the presence of transport minister- Pratap Sarnaik.
Other leaders and supporters of the Ex-MLA and former corporators will enter the Shiv Sena in a grand function which will be held soon in the prominent presence of deputy chief minister-Eknath Shinde, sources said.
" The entry of these leaders and supporters will further strengthen our base in the twin-city," said Sarnaik. The Shinde faction has been taking calculated steps including poaching influential leaders from other parties-especially Sena (UBT) to enhance its electoral fortunes in the upcoming civic body polls across the state.
The electoral strength of the coastal villages which fall under the Mira Bhayandar (145) assembly segment has crossed the 21,000 mark out of which more than 50 percent are female voters-most engaged in traditional fishing and farming as their source of livelihood.
Mendonca who wrestled the Mira Bhayandar assembly segment as a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate in 2009 had managed to establish his supremacy for more than two decades on the local self-governing body since the gram panchayat regime.
However, his grip in the political arena of the twin-city began loosening after he was defeated by BJP’s Narendra Mehta by a margin of 32,292 votes in the 2014 assembly elections and subsequent losses in the municipal polls.
Mendonca who had later switched his loyalties to the erstwhile united Shiv Sena, continues to maintain a strong clout in certain pockets in areas including coastal Uttan, rural villages and Bhayandar.
