Sun Nov 24 08:35:01 UTC 2024: ## Amit Thackeray Loses Mahim Seat to Shiv Sena (UBT) Candidate
**Mumbai, [Date]** – Amit Thackeray, son of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, lost his electoral debut in the Mahim constituency to Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Mahesh Sawant. Preliminary results show Sawant with a significant lead of over 7,000 votes.
Thackeray, contesting his first election, secured 6,642 votes by the fifth round of counting. This marks a setback for the MNS, which once held the Mahim seat from 2009 to 2014. The party’s performance has declined significantly since its peak in 2009, when it won 13 assembly seats. In 2019, the party secured only one seat.
The Mahim contest saw a high-stakes battle between Sawant and Thackeray, with reports suggesting the BJP had urged Sawant to withdraw in favor of Thackeray due to Raj Thackeray’s support for the NDA in the recent Lok Sabha elections. However, Sawant remained in the race. The seat has historically seen competition between the Shiv Sena and MNS, with MNS candidate Nitin Sardesai contesting against Sada Sarvankar (currently a Shiv Sena candidate) in previous elections. The loss signals a continued decline in the MNS’s political influence in Maharashtra.
First Piper 