While the Shiv Sena has renominated several sitting MPs as candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, it will be fielding a few new faces from Mumbai. Although the city has long been its bastion it failed to win a single seat from Mumbai in the 2009 polls, largely because the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena floated by Raj Thackeray cut into the Shiv Sena vote.
In its first list released on Friday, the party has declared 15 of its 22 candidates. The party is contesting the polls in alliance with the BJP, the Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha and the Republican Party of India.
The new faces from Mumbai are MLC Arvind Sawant who will be fielded from Mumbai South. The party’s leader in the Mumbai Municipality Rahul Shewale will also be contesting parliamentary elections for the first time from Mumbai South Central. The party has renominated senior leader Gajanan Kirtikar from Mumbai North-West.
The party has renominated several sitting MPs including Anant Gite (Raigad), Anandrao Adsul (Amravati), Bhavana Gawli (Yavatmal-Washim), Chandrakant Khaire (Aurangabad) and Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil (Shirur).
Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said the party will leave the Hathkanangle seat in western Maharashtra to its ally Raju Shetti of the Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha and the Satara seat to its ally the Republican Party of India.
