Maharashtra Assembly Elelection 2024: Rebellions in Airoli and Belapur Constituencies Pose Challenges for Alliance Candidiates

The political landscape in Navi Mumbai is growing increasingly tense as both the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the MahaYuti face rebellions within their ranks ahead of the assembly elections. Independent candidates who have left these alliances are now contesting elections in the Airoli and Belapur constituencies, potentially spoiling the chances for alliance candidates.

In Airoli, Vijay Chougule from Eknath Shinde's faction is running as an independent candidate. Similarly, in Belapur, the Vijay Nahata of Shinde’s faction is also contesting independently. Adding to the competitive dynamics, Mangesh Amle from the Sharad Pawar group of the NCP has confirmed his independent candidacy in Belapur.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated Ganesh Naik for the Airoli assembly constituency, where he will face Uddhav Thackeray's faction candidate, M.K. Madhavi. However, tensions have escalated due to Chougule's rebellion, complicating Naik’s campaign and intensifying the competition.

In Airoli, 26 candidates submitted nominations, with three applications rejected and three candidates withdrawing. This leaves 17 candidates in the race, including seven independents and ten from various parties.

The situation in Belapur is equally intense, with Shinde’s Vijay Nahata still in the race. The Sharad Pawar faction's Mangesh Amle will compete against Sandeep Naik, further heightening the electoral contest.

Amle, who holds a management degree from IIT Bombay and is an expert in cybersecurity, argues that the city needs educated candidates. He claims to have the support of over 28,000 Mathadi voters and expressed frustration over the party's decision to allot a ticket to a candidate who joined just before the election.

Nahata, a retired IAS officer and former municipal commissioner of Navi Mumbai, asserts that he has garnered support from various segments of the city's residents.

In the 2014 assembly elections, Chougule secured over 67,000 votes but lost to Sandeep Naik by fewer than 9,000 votes.

Both alliances, Maha Vikas Aghadi and MahaYuti, are navigating these challenges as they contend with internal dissent.

In Belapur, 27 nominations were filed, with one rejected and nine candidates withdrawing, including former deputy mayor Ashok Gawde from Shinde's faction. With two candidates filing multiple nominations, a total of 15 candidates will contest, but the primary battle appears to be between BJP's Manda Mhatre, Sharad Pawar faction's Sandeep Naik, and Shinde faction's Vijay Nahata.

In Airoli, former BJP MLA Ramesh Patil's son, Chetan Patil, initially filed as an independent but has since withdrawn his nomination. Similarly, Ashok Gawde's withdrawal in Belapur indicates a reduction in rebellion, with two of the four dissenters from MahaYuti deciding to contest.