Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday celebrated the victory of Aaditya Thackeray-led Yuva Sena in the Mumbai University senate elections, calling it a significant victory for the party and its supporters.
“Mumbai University is a very big historical institution, for 2 years BJP and the Chief Minister have been trying to stop elections there. The date of the election was announced twice but out of fear the government and ABVP kept postponing the elections, then the election was held by the order of the High Court and Shiv Sena won it... This shows that the youth of Maharashtra is standing with Shiv Sena, women are with Shiv Sena."
“This victory is important because these votes cannot be bought. Here, voting is done on the ballot paper and not on EVM, so no tampering can happen,” he added.
Yuva Sena won all 10 seats in the graduate constituency elections, with at least two candidates elected for a third term. The election, ordered by the High Court, was held for the first time since 2018, when Shiv Sena and BJP were allies.
The election saw 28 candidates in the fray, including 10 from ABVP, affiliated with the RSS. Four candidates from Chhatrabharti also contested, while Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena did not field any candidates, though one member ran as an independent. Voter turnout was recorded at 55% out of 13,406 registered electors, lower compared to the previous two elections in 2010 and 2018.