The political battleground in Maharashtra's capital, Mumbai, is heating up as the Lok Sabha elections approach. The financial hub of the nation is set to witness a fierce competition between the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi alliances for control over this cash-rich metropolis.
Voting for all parliamentary seats in Mumbai is scheduled for May 20th, with May 3rd marking the final date for candidate nominations. With just two days remaining for nominations, both alliances have announced their candidates for all seats.
Within the Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, is contesting the highest number of seats, with 5 out of 8, while the BJP is contesting on 3 seats in the Mumbai Metropolitan region (MMR).
Meanwhile, within the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, Shiv Sena, under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, is contesting the highest number of seats among its partners, with 6 out of 8, while the Congress is contesting on 2 seats.
Here’s a look at constituency-wise candidates from all parties:
As candidates gear up to win over voters, they've submitted their nominations to the relevant Election officials. Following the norms, all candidates are required to disclose details of their financial status and other relevant information in affidavits during the nomination process.
Due to delays in the declaration of candidate names, only 9 candidates from both Mahayuti and MVA alliances have filed their nominations thus far, with 7 others expected to file in the next 2 days.
Now, let's delve into a brief summary of the affidavits filed by these 9 candidates.
1. Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena - UBT, Mumbai South):
Education: B.Sc.
Arvind Sawant’s movable assets amount to Rs 2.13 crore, with no vehicles owned. He possesses gold and jewellery valued at Rs 19.48 lakh and immovable assets worth Rs 65 lakh. Arvind Sawant has no debts, resulting in a total asset value of Rs 2.78 crore.
2. Rahul Shewale (Shiv Sena, Mumbai South Central):
Education: Diploma In Civil Engineering
Rahul Shewale has movable assets worth Rs 62.04 lakh, including a Toyota Innova Crysta valued at Rs 21.91 lakh. His immovable assets total Rs 7.21 crore, with gold and jewellery amounting to Rs 7.46 lakh. However, he carries debts amounting to Rs 1.95 crore. His total assets are valued at of Rs 7.83 crore.
3. Piyush Goyal (BJP, Mumbai North):
Education: B. Com, LL.B., C.A.
Piyush Goyal's movable assets sum up to Rs 35.64 crore, including multiple vehicles such as Toyota Corolla Altis and two Toyota Camrys. His immovable assets are valued at Rs 7.70 crore, with gold and jewellery worth Rs 3.49 crore. He holds no debts, and has a total asset value of Rs 43.34 crore.
4. Varsha Gaikwad (Congress, Mumbai North Central):
Education: B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Ed.
Varsha Gaikwad possesses movable assets worth Rs 1.86 crore and immovable assets valued at Rs 1.06 crore. She holds gold and jewellery worth Rs 5.38 lakh but owes Rs 80 lakh to her husband Raju Godse. Her total assets amount to Rs 2.92 crore.
5. Anil Desai (Shiv Sena - UBT, Mumbai South Central):
Education: B.Com., LL.B.
Anil Desai's movable assets stand at Rs 3.85 crore, with no vehicles owned. His immovable assets are valued at Rs 6 crore, while his gold and jewellery holdings amount to Rs 36.89 lakh. He carries a debt of Rs 76 lakh. Desai's total asset value is pegged at Rs 9.85 crore.
6. Sanjay Dina Patil (Shiv Sena - UBT, Mumbai North East):
Education: B. Com.
Sanjay Dina Patil's movable assets total Rs 2.30 crore, with no vehicles owned. His immovable assets are valued at Rs 18 lakh, and he possesses gold and jewellery worth Rs 3.42 lakh. Sanjay Dina Patil has no debts, with total asset value of Rs 2.48 crore.
7. Mihir Kotecha (BJP, Mumbai North East):
Education: First Year of Junior College
Mihir Kotecha has movable assets amounting to Rs 7.23 crore and 7 vehicles, including a Honda City and Mahindra Marazzo. His immovable assets are valued at Rs 3.65 crore, but he holds debts amounting to Rs 7.37 crore. He has total assets of Rs 10.88 crore.
8. Rajan Vichare (Shiv Sena - UBT, Thane):
Education: First Year of Junior College
Rajan Vichare's movable assets sum up to Rs 1.32 crore, including a Hyundai Verna. He possesses gold and jewellery worth Rs 31.45 lakh, with immovable assets valued at Rs 20.84 crore. However, he carries debts amounting to Rs 3.24 crore. His total asset value is at Rs 22.16 crore.
9. Vaishali Rane (Shiv Sena - UBT, Kalyan):
Education: B. Com., M.A.
Vaishali Rane's movable assets are valued at Rs 26.97 lakh, including an Activa and a Suzuki Access. Her immovable assets total Rs 3.83 crore, with gold and jewellery worth Rs 21.60 lakh. She holds no debts, resulting in a total asset value of Rs 4.10 crore.
Key takeaways
Union Minister and BJP candidate from Mumbai North, Piyush Goyal, emerges as the wealthiest candidate fielded from Mumbai, boasting total assets totaling Rs 43.34 crores. Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Dina Patil has the least assets, pegged at Rs 2.48 crores, followed by his party colleague Arvind Sawant (Rs 2.78 crore) and Congress’ Varsha Gaikwad (Rs 2.92 crore). Among all six Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates, Rajan Vichare, contesting from Thane, holds the highest total assets worth Rs 22.16 crore. Mihir Kotecha, the BJP candidate from North East, owns the highest number of cars, totaling 7, while 4 out of 9 candidates (Arvind Sawant, Varsha Gaikwad, Anil Desai, and Sanjay Dina Patil) do not own any vehicles, as per their declaration. 4 out the 9 candidates have no debts against their names.