Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Saturday that Shrikant Shinde, the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, will be running for the Kalyan constituency in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This decision comes as a gesture of alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and its partner, Shiv Sena, as they have conceded the seat to their ally.
Shrikant, the son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has been elected as the Member of Parliament from Kalyan for two consecutive terms, securing victory in both the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The battle for the Kalyan seat witnessed a contentious clash between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shinde Sena, resulting in heated confrontations and public demonstrations as the local BJP unit vehemently asserted its claim to the constituency.
Shrikant Shinde, the incumbent Member of Parliament, is set to compete against Vaishali Darekar, a two-time corporator from Shiv Sena (UBT), in the upcoming election in the Kalyan constituency. Darekar, aged 49, has been a loyal member of Shiv Sena for over twenty years. She has a Master’s degree in history and is currently preparing for the LLB entrance exam. Her husband, Sachin Rane, is an engineer employed at a multinational corporation.
The Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency is comprised of six Assembly segments, namely Ambernath, Ulhasnagar, Kalyan East, Dombivali, Kalyan Rural, and Mumbra Kalwa. These segments are represented by various political parties, including Shiv Sena, BJP, and NCP. Specifically, Ambernath is represented by Shiv Sena MLA Balaji Kinikar, Ulhasnagar by BJP MLA Kunal Ailani, Kalyan East by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, Dombivali by BJP MLA Ravindra Chavan, Kalyan Rural by MNS MLA Pramod Patil, and Mumbra Kalwa by NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad. It is worth noting that in all Lok Sabha elections held between 2009 and 2019, the Shiv Sena and BJP have formed a pre-poll alliance and contested together.
Amidst the power struggle within the ruling alliance, the Shinde Sena is unable to overlook the organizational prowess of the BJP and the assistance it could offer in securing Shrikant’s victory. The primary challenge for both parties is to enhance coordination between them.
