Maharashtra election results: Shiv Sena-BJP seal Mumbai match with a six

The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena combine has painted the city saffron by annexing all six Lok Sabha constituencies. The trend had become clear hours before the final poll results were announced late on Thursday.
The BJP’s well-planned poll campaign combined with the Shiv Sena’s networking through local ‘shakhas’ helped the two parties give a body blow to the opposition Congress-NCP combine.The Bahujan Vanchit Aghadi, an alliance between Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and AIMIM, too failed to make any impact on the electorate, said experts.
Describing the saffron combine’s victory in the city as “unprecedented”, Ashish Shelar, city BJP chief, said it showed Mumbaikars’ had reiterated their faith in Narendra Modi’s leadership. “They know that under his captaincy the country and Mumbai will be on the path of progress,” he said.
Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena retained his Mumbai South seat, defeating Milind Deora of the Congress by a margin of over a lakh votes. Sawant faced a tough challenge from Deora, whose candidature was endorsed by industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Sawant had defeated Deora in 2014 in the constituency.
The low-profile MP earned ample support from both high-rises and chawls, said Ranjit Thakur, a sympathiser.
Rahul Shewale of the Sena trounced Congress veteran Eknath Gaikwad by a margin of 1.52 lakh votes, while Poonam Mahajan of the BJP took the lead over Congress rival Priya Dutt from early on in Mumbai North Central and only kept increasing it to take it over a lakh later. In Mumbai North West, too, Gajanan Kirtikar of the Sena took a firm lead over Sanjay Nirupam of the Congress early in the day and took it past 2.6 lakh later.
In Mumbai North East, BJP candidate Manoj Kotak defeated Sanjay Dina Patil by over 2.26 lakh votes. Kotak, who cut his political teeth in the BMC, replaced BJP veteran Kirit Somaiya, whose candidature was, it is learnt, struck down by BJP national president Amit Shah. This had set the tongues wagging in the BJP that Kotak may be on a wet wicket.
Gopal Shetty of the BJP retained Mumbai North, polling over 7 lakh votes as against 2.4 lakh of Congress’ Urmila Matondkar. The actor-turned-politician said the poll defeat would not act as a deterrent. “I will continue to be in politics,” she said. Shetty said voters had to choose between a “film star and a road star”. “They chose me, a road star,” he said.
Much of the credit for BJPSena’s victory should go to Shah’s poll planning, it is learnt. Addressing party functionaries in Mumbai in February this year, Shah asked the Mumbai BJP poll panel to go right down to the booth level to consolidate the party’s vote bank.
The Congress organisational skills were dismal, said an MNS functionary who led a team of key party activists to lend support to Matondkar’s campaign.
Born in 1885 in the city, the Congress seems to have handed over the baton to BJP-Sena, whose birthplace, too, is the city.