MUMBAI: In an embarrassment to the Shiv Sena, the party’s official candidate and Mumbai’s Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar lost the seat to Congress’s Zeeshan Siddiqui in Bandra East constituency, where Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray resides.
Zeeshan is the youngest candidate in the fray, who got 38,337 votes against Mahadeshwar’s 28,349 votes.
Zeeshan Siddique, son of former legislator Baba Siddique, came in the lead, keeping in mind the Muslim voter population - the Congress party’s traditional vote bank - and the infighting within the Shiv Sena.
Shiv Sena’s loss has been blamed on sitting MLA Trupti Sawant, who was contesting as an Independent against Mahadeshwar in Bandra East.
Trupti Sawant is Shiv Sena MLA from Bandra East. She won the seat in A by-election in 2015 after the death of her husband and Shiv Sena’s loyal MLA Bala Sawant.
This year Trupti was denied a ticket by Shiv Sena leaders and she decided to contest from the seat as an independent. She cut Shiv Sena’s votes by bagging 21,704 votes.
