Amid alliance tussle over Maharashtra seats, BJP searches for new face in North Central

THE BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra is yet to announce a candidate for Mumbai North Central, the Lok Sabha seat located in the heart of the country’s financial capital, with sources indicating that the BJP may be looking for a new face in place of Poonam Mahajan, who won the seat for the party in 2014 and 2019.

The Mahayuti comprises theBJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Mumbai North Central is among the seven seats caught up in a dispute between the alliance. However, the seat is expected to fall in the BJP’s kitty.

“The delay in declaring the candidate for Mumbai North Central is an indication that the party is seriously considering finding an alternative candidate,” a BJP insider said.

BJP sources hinted at anti-incumbency as one of the reasons for the party’s hesitation on re-fielding Mahajan, as well as “the changed political equations in the constituency” after the split in the Shiv Sena making the BJP vulnerable here.

Among the names doing the rounds as Mahajan’s replacement is BJP Mumbai president and sitting Bandra West MLA Ashish Shelar, who is seen as a strong contender against Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena, given his strong network across communities and religious groups. He has been proactive and vocal in raising issues important to the constituency and Mumbai at large.

However, not all agree on this. “Moving Shelar to Delhi is not a good idea. With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls ahead, Shelar should remain in Mumbai politics,” a BJP leader said.

So far, the BJP has announced 24 Maharashtra candidates, while Shinde’s Sena has announced eight and Ajit’s NCP just one.

According to party insiders, Shinde had attempted to recruit former Congress MP Priya Dutt for the Mumbai