Fierce Contest in Navi Mumbai: BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Sena Field Mayoral and Deputy Mayoral Candidates

Mumbai: The political rivalry in Navi Mumbai has intensified as the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena announced their candidates for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts following the municipal election results. The BJP kept its nomination process confidential, with senior party leader and former minister Ganesh Naik declaring the candidates: Sujata Suraj Patil for Mayor and Dashrath Sitaram Bhagat for Deputy Mayor. On the other side, Shinde’s Shiv Sena nominated Saroj Rohidas Patil as Mayor and Akash Madhvi as Deputy Mayor. The election for both positions will now be held on 5 February.

In the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP won 65 of the 111 seats, while Shinde’s Shiv Sena secured 42 seats. Despite BJP’s clear majority, expectations had been that the party might offer the Deputy Mayor post to Shiv Sena to maintain cooperation, similar to arrangements in Ulhasnagar and Kalyan-Dombivli. However, BJP filed nominations without consulting Shinde’s faction, prompting Shiv Sena to also submit its candidates, setting the stage for a direct contest.

Sujata Patil’s nomination surprised many, as the mayoral seat is reserved for a general-category woman. Several experienced BJP corporators were in consideration, but Ganesh Naik chose his loyalist, Patil, whose husband Suraj Patil is a trusted member of the Naik family. This marks her second consecutive term as corporator, while other senior corporators were overlooked.

Shiv Sena deputy leader Vijay Chougule stated that since the state is governed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (Maha Yuti), the party submitted nominations and will await the outcome of the election.