Vandre East Assembly Constituency: Will The Thackeray Legacy Prevail Against NCP’s Zeeshan Siddique?

The Vandre East assembly constituency is set for a competitive election. Zeeshan Siddique, the son of NCP leader Baba Siddique-who was tragically shot dead last Saturday-will likely face Varun Sardesai, the nephew of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, according to the Hindustan Times (HT) report.

Sardesai's candidacy was announced by Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, despite the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition still deciding on a candidate for the seat. Both the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have claimed the right to contest.

At a meeting with party workers, Parab stated, "Uddhavji has finalised Varun Sardesai as the candidate from Vandre East. We are confident that he will win this election." Following this announcement, Sardesai, who was present on stage, acknowledged the crowd.

Sardesai, the son of Rashmi Thackeray's sister, is the second member of the Thackeray family to enter the electoral race. He previously served as the secretary of the party's youth wing, Yuva Sena, and was promoted to Shiv Sena (UBT) secretary after Uddhav Thackeray restructured the party following its split in 2022. Sardesai is considered a close associate of Aaditya Thackeray and has been active in Bandra East, participating in various political and social events over recent months.

Zeeshan Siddique, the sitting MLA, is expected to contest on an NCP ticket. In the 2019 elections, Siddique was elected as a Congress candidate, winning with 38,337 votes by a narrow margin of 5,790 votes.

His victory was aided by the rebellion of Trupti Sawant, the then-sitting MLA of Shiv Sena, who ran as an independent after being denied a ticket. Sawant received 24,071 votes, while Shiv Sena's candidate, Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, garnered 32,547 votes. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders believe Sardesai has a strong chance of winning in a direct contest.

Sardesai gained significant attention in 2021 when he led protests against Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane after Rane insulted Uddhav Thackeray. Subsequently, he became a target for BJP leaders, including accusations from Nitesh Rane, who claimed Sardesai had links to a controversial police inspector involved in extortion from cricket bookies. Sardesai has denied these allegations and plans to file a defamation suit against Rane.

Additionally, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has linked Sardesai to irregularities in COVID-19 purchases related to BMC contracts. Shinde alleged that contracts worth Rs 270 crore were awarded to a contractor due to connections with Sardesai.

BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar has raised concerns about an organisation called Hindustan Scouts and Guides, alleging it duped young people by promising jobs, and claimed Varun was its head, calling for an investigation.

Parab's announcement of Sardesai as a candidate could spark controversy within the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi coalition. Since the Congress won the seat in 2019, it has laid claim to it.

Meanwhile, the Thackeray faction argues that they can win the seat based on the combined votes of official and rebel candidates from that election, especially now that Siddique has joined the NCP. Recently, the Congress expelled Siddique for attending NCP events and suspected cross-voting in legislative council elections.