Maharashtra polls: What Mumbai’s 36 assembly seats have on offer | Mumbai news

Mumbai: With less than two weeks to go before the Maharashtra assembly elections, political rallies and road shows of various sizes are becoming a common sight in the city. A number of incumbent MLAs, former corporators and a few fresh faces are taking to the streets, meeting the electorate and putting their case forward ahead of polling day on November 20.

HT has dissected what the 36 constituencies in Mumbai will have on offer for over 8.5 million voters, including the demographics of the candidates pitched by the two main coalitions in the fight — the Mahayuti, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which includes the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP).

Only 13 women and 10 Muslim candidates have been given tickets by the bigwigs, out of the pie of 70-plus candidates. Most seats have their incumbent MLAs contesting, with many candidates having their beginnings in politics as BMC corporators. An overwhelming majority are over 50, with the average age being 54.87 years. And while it might seem like the choice is between a binary, voters have been six and 22 candidates to choose from, with one constituency having as many as 14 independents.

Constituencies with:

Most candidates: 22 – Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar and Jogeshwari East

Most independents: 14 – Jogeshwari East; 13 – Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar

Least candidates: 6 – Chembur, Mahim, Vile Parle

Least independents: 0 – Chembur

BJP vs Congress: 8 – Mulund, Kandivali East, Charkop, Malad West, Andheri West, Vandre West, Sion Koliwada, Colaba

Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena (UBT): 11 – Magathane, Vikhroli, Bhandup West, Jogeshwari East, Dindoshi, Andheri East, Chembur, Kurla, Mahim, Worli, Byculla

NCP vs NCP (SP): 1 – Anushakti Nagar

No Mahayuti candidate: Shivadi

Reserved for Scheduled Castes: Dharavi, Kurla

Candidates from MVA and Mahayuti:

Oldest: 71 – Kalidas Kolambkar, BJP, Wadala; Ajay Choudhari, Shiv Sena (UBT), Shivadi

Oldest woman: 67 – Suvarna Karanje, Shiv Sena, Vikhroli

Youngest: 30 – Fahad Ahmad, NCP (SP), Anushakti Nagar

Youngest woman: 37 – Sana Malik, NCP, Anushakti Nagar

Average age of candidates: 54.87

Incumbents: (to add)

Former corporators: (to add)

Women: 13

Manisha Chaudhary, 62, BJP, Dahisar

Manisha Waikar, 61, Shiv Sena, Jogeshwari East

Suvarna Karanje, 67, Shiv Sena, Vikhroli

Vidya Thakur, 63, BJP, Goregaon

Bharati Lavekar, 58, BJP, Versova

Rutuja Lakte, 47, Shiv Sena (UBT), Andheri East

Rakhee Jadhav, 48, NCP (SP), Ghatkopar East

Sana Malik, 37, NCP, Anushakti Nagar

Pravina Morajkar, 54, Shiv Sena (UBT), Kurla

Jyoti Gaikwad, 47, Congress, Dharavi

Shraddha Jadhav, 60, Shiv Sena (UBT), Wadala

Yamini Jadhav, 57, Shiv Sena, Byculla

Shaina NC, 52, Shiv Sena, Mumbadevi