"I humbly accept the mandate of the people of my vandre east assembly constituency. I wish Varun all the best. I promise to continue working hard towards the development and betterment of Vandre east, Mumbai and Maharashtra. I thank each one of you who trusted me and voted for me and stood by me during these tough times," Zeeshan wrote on X 

The Bandra East contest has been in limelight following the killing of Zeeshan’s father Baba Siddique allegedly by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang

For the Shiv Sena (UBT), Bandra East Assembly constituency has special significance since the Thackeray residence Matoshree falls in the constituency

Zeeshan had contested the 2019 Maharashtra assembly election from a Congress ticket from the Vandre East (Bandra East) assembly constituency and won

The Thackeray camp views the seat as prestigious. Historically, it was won by the undivided Shiv Sena in 2009 and 2014, but they lost it in 2019 when Zeeshan secured victory on a Congress ticket

Following the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has intensified its efforts in the constituency, fielding Varun Sardesai who is also Aaditya Thackeray's cousin

Uddhav Thackeray had reportedly assigned his key strategist, Anil Parab, also the vibhag pramukh for the area, to ensure Sardesai’s success.

The constituency represents a cross-section of society, encompassing slum clusters along the railways, MHADA buildings in Kherwadi, the Government Colony and BKC

The constituency comprises Marathi-speaking voters, Muslims, Dalits and a mix of economic classes—from slums to new residential towers