In a surprising turn of events, Vijay Nahata, the deputy chief of Navi Mumbai's Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the Belapur constituency on Thursday. He stated that his decision was driven by the demands of party workers, which he felt obligated to honor.
Nahata explained that during a party meeting on Wednesday, several party workers called for a candidate to be fielded for the Belapur Assembly seat. While the Grand Alliance had already declared BJP candidate Manda Mhatre for the seat, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) was expected to support her.
Nahata’s entry into the race has now made it a three-way contest, with Sandeep Naik running under the NCP-SP banner. Nhata framed the contest as one between "a literate, retired IAS officer and the rest," asserting that, as a cosmopolitan city, Navi Mumbai would benefit from an educated representative to drive its development.
Meanwhile, senior Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leaders Vijay Chougule and Kishore Patkar issued a statement reaffirming their support for Manda Mhatre. The statement addressed to party workers emphasized unity, stating that a meeting was held under the leadership of Contact Chief Kishor Patkar, following the guidance of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to rally support for Mhatre as the Mahayuti (Grand Alliance) candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections.
The statement further clarified that while Vijay Nahata was invited to guide the meeting, his independent nomination was not endorsed by the party. It urged all Shiv Sainiks, office bearers, and workers to uphold the alliance and extend full support to Manda Mhatre, reinforcing the call for unity to secure her victory in the elections.