A triangular contest is shaping up in the Uran constituency after the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) failed to reach a consensus on the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. With no agreement among its allies, candidates from both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the People and Workers Party (PWP) have expressed confidence in their victory.
Currently, 14 candidates are in the running for the Uran seat, but the main battle will likely be between three major parties: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction), and PWP. The election will determine how the voters in Uran, with a population of 336,220 voters (168,711 men and 167,407 women), will swing in this closely contested race.
The key contenders are sitting MLA Mahesh Baldi, contesting from BJP; former MLA Manohar Bhoir, representing Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction); and Pritam Mhatre, the PWP candidate. Mahesh Baldi, an independent MLA who previously supported the BJP, has officially been nominated by the party this time, and his campaign is already underway. BJP supporters are optimistic, with slogans echoing that the "lotus will bloom" in Uran.
The 2019 election saw a split in Shiv Sena and internal strife within PWP. This time, with ongoing struggles within the MVA, the battle has intensified into a three-way fight. Manohar Bhoir, representing Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction), has declared that he is determined to win for his party. Meanwhile, Pritam Mhatre of PWP, defying the MVA’s decision to field other candidates, has pledged to fight with the support of dedicated party workers.
As election campaigns intensify, the Uran constituency race promises to be one of the most contested in this election cycle.