Voting for the Maharashtra Assembly elections is just days away, intensifying the campaign fervor. Both the BJP-led Grand Alliance (Mahayuti) and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi are vying for votes, with a notable increase in the number of North Indian voters in the state. To appeal to this demographic, both alliances have fielded North Indian candidates in various constituencies, particularly in Mumbai, where the highest concentration of such candidates is seeking a shot at victory in the upcoming polls.
A total of 14 North Indian candidates are contesting in Mumbai from various parties, with some seats seeing direct competition between North Indian contenders. Leaders from the community are also running in areas like Navi Mumbai, Malegaon, Aurangabad, and Bhiwandi. The BJP has nominated Sanjay Upadhyay from Borivali, Sneha Dube Pandit from Vasai, and Amarjit Singh from Kalina. Additionally, Vidya Thakur is contesting for the third time in Goregaon.Also Read| No Voting Card? 12 Documents Other Than Voter ID Allowed for Polling in Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024.
BJP ally Shiv Sena has fielded former MP Sanjay Nirupam from the Dindoshi constituency, while Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has also nominated North Indian candidates. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Congress has selected North Indian leader Yashwant Singh for Charkop, where he will face BJP's Yogesh Sagar and MNS' Dinesh Salvi. The party has also nominated Sandeep Pandey from Nalasopara. Ajit Pawar's NCP has fielded Sana Malik, while Sharad Pawar's NCP has nominated Fahad Ahmed for the Anushakti Nagar seat. In Mankhurd Shivajinagar, the Samajwadi Party has given a ticket to Abu Azmi, and NCP's Nawab Malik is contesting from the same constituency. Zeeshan Siddiqui is running for NCP from Bandra East.
North Indian Votes in MumbaiA large population of North Indians from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Jharkhand resides in Mumbai. Maharashtra has approximately 40 lakh North Indian votes, distributed across various constituencies. These votes are particularly crucial in 22 out of Mumbai's 36 constituencies. Around 18 lakh migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are now registered voters in Mumbai, with significant turnout in areas such as Kalina, Kurla, Dahisar, Charkop, Kandivali East, Borivali, Maghane, Versova, Goregaon, Dindoshi, Jogeshwari East, and Andheri East.
Beyond Mumbai, North Indian voters are also present in areas like Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Akola, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nashik. Many North Indians have migrated to Maharashtra for employment, and they tend to support national parties over local issues. Key North Indian leaders, including Kripashankar Singh, Sanjay Nirupam, and Rajhans Singh, shifted from Congress to BJP, prompting a considerable portion of this voter base to lean toward BJP. Currently, prominent North Indian figures like Naseem Khan in Congress and Anand Dubey from the Uddhav Thackeray faction are gaining visibility.