Arvind Sawant, a senior Shiv Sena leader, won from South Mumbai by a significant margin of over 50,000 votes. He arrived at Matoshree, the residence of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, to celebrate his victory and meet with party leaders.
Sawant, who secured a hat-trick of victories, defeated Yamini Jadhav, the candidate supported by Eknath Shinde's faction within Shiv Sena. This marks Sawant's third consecutive win from the South Mumbai constituency, known as the financial capital's heart.
"The candidature was given with the blessings of Uddhav Thackeray...People have shown trust in Uddhav Thackeray...He has told which is the real Shiv Sena," Avind Sawant said.
The election showcased a battle between two major alliances: Mahayuti, comprising Shiv Sena (Shinde), BJP, and NCP, and Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Shiv Sena (Thackeray), NCP, and Congress.
The Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat became a contentious issue during seat-sharing negotiations between two alliances. Within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Congress initially sought the seat. However, the Shiv Sena (UBT) argued that their candidate, Arvind Sawant, had successfully secured the seat in the last two elections. Eventually, their partners conceded.
This decision disappointed Milind Deora, a former Congress MP who had aspired to contest from Mumbai South. Consequently, Deora resigned from the Congress and joined the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde).
Arvind Sawant emerged victorious in the elections against Congress's Milind Deora in 2014 and 2019. Deora, now aligned with Shinde's group and serving as a Rajya Sabha member, follows in the footsteps of his father, Murli Deora, who also represented the same seat in the past.