Lok Sabha elections 2024: Mahayuti or MVA, it’s just maha-confusion for cadre

An aerial view of Shivaji Park, Dadar where INDIA leaders took part in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on March 17, 2024. Pic/Shadab Khan

Who is contesting from where and which party gets what? With both the Shinde Sena-BJP-Ajit Pawar NCP coalition and the Uddhav Sena-Congress-Sharad Pawar NCP combine yet to finalise their election plans, the cadre of all these parties on the ground are a confused lot. With communication also being poor, they have been left grappling in the dark with not much time left.

Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray

Despite Lok Sabha elections for city seats being just over a month away, party workers from both alliances are uncertain and trying to understand the mood among their parties' top echelons. In the Mahayuti, the BJP has announced two candidates for Mumbai and the Shinde Sena one. The BJP's candidates include Union minister Piyush Goyal for Mumbai North, and sitting MLA Mihir Kotecha for Mumbai North East. The Shinde Sena has confirmed sitting MP Rahul Shewale for Mumbai South Central.

The Mumbai equation

This leaves three constituencies vacant-Mumbai South, Mumbai North West and Mumbai North Central. Of these three, Shinde-led Sena has staked claim on North West and South as both constituencies originally belonged to the undivided Shiv Sena.

The other side

Uddhav Sena has announced four names for the city so far. Arvind Sawant for Mumbai South, sitting MP Gajanan Kirtikar's son Amol Kirtikar for Mumbai North West, Anil Desai for Mumbai South Central and Sanjay Dina Patil for Mumbai North East. This leaves two of constituencies vacant - Mumbai North and Mumbai North Central for the MVA.

Uddhav Sena spokesperson and former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar. File Pic/Rane Ashish

Mahayuti confusion

"Elections are so close and three key seats remain undecided. There are no directives from the party head office. Such a thing has never happened. It is all confusion. We are regularly holding meetings of workers on the ground, but there are questions for which answers we do not have. How long can we hold on like this," said an office bearer of the Shinde-led Sena.

To combat this confusion, smart grassroots managers have told their workers to just go out and meet voters for canvassing without worrying about who will contest in their backyard. "The same issue keeps cropping up again and again," said one of these. "So we have pacified workers and local office bearers by telling them not to worry about the possible candidate, and go meet voters and convince them about the work done in their constituency by the party."

Another Shinde Sena functionary from Mumbai North-West constituency said they were holding meetings at local level with all office-bearers and giving out information about how to campaign and what to tell voters. "But we get bombarded by the same question - who will get this constituency? We can glorify and pitch for the party to an extent but cannot fight for a silhouette. We need a face," he said.

Amol Kirtikar of Shiv Sena (UBT)

Maha bickering Aghadi

The Congress is unhappy and sulking that the Uddhav Sena has gone ahead and nominated its candidates without consulting them. "We are not participating in Uddhav's campaign till our party tells us. They have fielded candidates without consulting us. But, at the same time, our leaders have also not told us who is going to be fielded in Mumbai North. Things need to move fast as we have very little time," said a Congress grassroots manager.

Another Congress leader with his ear to the ground said there has been virtually no communication to keep the spirits of the cadre high. "This [lack of communication] is leading to speculation and gossip and delaying the actual campaign activity. If announcements come soon, we could translate them into votes. People ask us questions, but we do not have even a name to give them," he said.

Leaders in denial

"Yes. There will be Congress candidates in both constituencies. The candidature has not been officially announced yet, but campaigning has started through various programmes," is all that Mumbai Congress spokesperson Nizamuddin Rayeen would tell mid-day. Uddhav Sena spokesperson and former Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar flatly told mid-day there was no confusion.

"There is no misunderstanding in the MVA. The party has started meetings at a local level. The actual campaigning is yet to start and when it begins, you shall see that we are all together in all this," said Pednekar. Spokesperson of the Shinde Sena Shital Mhatre did not respond to calls, or messages.

May 20
Day Mumbai's Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls