Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Milind Deora vs Aaditya Thackeray for Worli; stage set for an epic showdown as polls near

In a significant move ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora will contest from the Worli constituency. Deora will face a formidable challenge from Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Aaditya Thackeray, who recently filed his nomination for the elections.

Milind Deora, a seasoned politician with a rich political background, is currently serving as a Rajya Sabha member and has previously represented the prestigious Mumbai South constituency in the Lok Sabha. He first entered Indian politics at the young age of 27, making him one of the youngest Members of Parliament at the time. Deora held key positions in the government, notably as the Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology and Shipping during the second Manmohan Singh administration. His experience and political acumen are expected to play a vital role in the upcoming electoral battle.

The announcement of Deora's candidacy comes just a day after Aaditya Thackeray submitted his nomination papers for the Worli seat, a constituency that has previously seen a narrow margin of victory for the UBT. In the last Lok Sabha polls, Deora was tasked with managing the Worli constituency, which is also Aaditya’s stronghold. Despite Thackeray's historical advantage, the last assembly elections showed a modest lead of only 6,500 votes for the UBT.

In addition to Deora and Thackeray, the constituency will also feature Sandeep Deshpande from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), adding another layer of competition to the race.

Thackeray, confident in his chances, expressed optimism about securing victory, stating, “I am very confident that the people will bless me because we are about to form the government in Maharashtra and that is for sure. As you can see, this atmosphere is very good; you can see the love people are giving me.”

As the Maharashtra Assembly elections draw near, both the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—which includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), and Congress—are ramping up their preparations for the polls. The BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance alongside Eknath Shinde's faction of the Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.

The elections are set to take place on November 20, with the counting of votes for all 288 constituencies scheduled for November 23. As the political landscape in Maharashtra heats up, the contest for Worli is poised to be one of the most closely watched battles in this high-stakes election.