In Mumbai’s vibrant Worli Koliwada, three septuagenarian women sit in the shadow of colourful buildings, watching children play in a makeshift playground nearby. It’s a daily routine – they sit for hours every evening, chatting about things of great and small significance. 

Among the few things they disagree on is which faction of the Shiv Sena is more worthy of their votes. For Deobhai Tandel, 70, Eknath Shinde’s faction has the upper hand because he’s “done a lot for the Kolis”, referring to the state’s fishing community. But her friend Taramati Pawar, in her 70s, vouches for Aaditya Thackeray, whom she believes is a stronger leader. 

This snippet of conversation is emblematic of the situation in Worli constituency, which has become one of the most hotly contested seats this election season. Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya, representing his father’s faction on a Maha Vikas Aghadi ticket, is seeking reelection. But the competition is stiff. Aaditya is up against Milind Deora, a former MP from Worli who recently switched from the Congress to Shinde’s Shiv Sena.

There’s also a third contender in the fray – Sandeep Deshpande from Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sabha, who is appealing to voters nostalgic for Raj’s fiery Marathi-centric politics. 

With its mix of Koli fishermen, the growing cosmopolitan populace, and Marathi-speaking working class, Worli has historically aligned with the Shiv Sena under Balasaheb Thackeray. The original Shiv Sena only lost the seat once since 1990. Aaditya won in 2019 with a vote share of 72.7 percent. 

In Worli Koliwada and BDD chawls, Newslaundry found that Balasaheb’s legacy promises more takers for Aaditya than Deora. But after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it won’t be an easy win for the junior Thackeray; the Shiv Sena (UBT) won from Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, of which Worli is part, by a slim margin of 6,715 votes. 

A bastion under threat?

Worli has long been synonymous with Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena. Even now, the party orange and songs dominate the campaigns of both rival factions. But it’s a strange election, as confessed by Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Prashant Gawai as he waited for Deora to arrive for a roadshow on Friday evening.

“Can you believe that in the last election, we were on the streets campaigning for Aaditya Thackeray? And now we are campaigning against him,” he said. “We know now that he’s not accessible to the people or party workers or to his constituency. We know now that he doesn’t really do any work for his people.”

Arun Chavan, a party worker, nodded in agreement. “More than anything else, I like Eknath Shinde because he is taking Hindutva forwards,” he said. “It was getting oppressed under Uddhav and his alliances. But I don’t like the current campaign of ‘batenge toh katenge’. It is a step away from the kind of politics we have in Maharashtra. I think it is Yogi Adityanath’s idea.”

Batenge toh katenge, meaning “division is destruction”, was coined by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath last month and is now part of the Mahayuti alliance’s messaging in Maharashtra. But not everyone’s on board. Even state BJP leaders Pankaja Munde and Ashok Chavan, and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, expressed discomfort with it.

Deora, meanwhile, ended his family’s 55-year relationship with the Congress in January. A nominated Rajya Sabha member, his campaign involves daily road shows and a consistent harangue against Aaditya. Just last week, he hit out at Aaditya for “running away” from an invitation to debate him and accused him of distributing money in housing societies. 

As for Aaditya, his campaign revolves around his image as a young leader with ideas, and his legacy as the grandson of Mumbai’s most popular leader. 

“Before Balasaheb left us, he had asked us to take care of his son. We will never stop doing that,” said Prashant Patanakar, a Sena (UBT) worker from Worli. “Dhanush gaya hoga but Balasaheb hummare abhi bhi humare saath hai (The bow and arrow symbol may have gone but Balasaheb is still with us).”

In the 2019 assembly polls, Aaditya was the first Thackeray to contest an election when he stood from Worli. At the time, his uncle Raj chose not to field a candidate against him – a choice he hasn’t made this time around. Shailesh Gosavi, 34, a resident of Worli, told Newslaundry she’ll vote for MNS candidate Deshpande, even though she knows it’s a “losing battle”.

“Thackeray is 100 percent going to win,” she said. “I don’t like him as he has done very little work. Deora too will not do work here as he doesn’t even stay here.” 

Robert John Koli, 55, who recently retired as a fisherman, is one of the few residents we met in Worli Koliwada who is not a traditional Shiv Sena voter. “My family and I have been supporting the Congress for generations. No one does the work they used to do but I will vote for Thackeray because of the alliance,” he said. “Milind Deora used to be an MP and now he is running for the position of MLA. Doesn’t it seem like he has been demoted?”

‘He is Balasaheb’s son’

In Worli Koliwada, Newslaundry met Satish, a driver who’s lived in the area for 22 years. Satish is originally from Uttar Pradesh and isn’t Maharashtrian, but he said Balasaheb “was for everyone and still is”. 

“He never divided people on the basis of religion. Today, Eknath Shinde has plastered Balasaheb’s photo all over his posters but that’s because their only work has been to spend money on advertising themselves,” he said. “Whose money are they using for all this? Instead, if they give money to the poor, wouldn’t that be better? If they did actual work, they wouldn’t need to put out any posters.”

As for Aaditya, Satish said: “He is Balasaheb Thackeray’s grandson. Until I am alive, I will never vote for anyone besides Balasaheb’s party. Even Uddhav could not do what Balasaheb did. It is his name and legacy that is bringing them votes. Aaditya may go on to do work up to Balasaheb’s legacy but it is a long road ahead.”

For Narayan Bhirwadalkar, the question of “which Sena” is laughable. He has voted for the Shiv Sena ever since he qualified to vote in the 1960s, and he will continue to vote for the “real” Shiv Sena which, to him, is the UBT faction.

“Maharashtra politics has become a khichdi,” he said gloomily. “The only reason behind the Shiv Sena split is Modi. They went to him because they were greedy. But I am sure the BJP can never win a seat from here.”

Like the Lok Sabha polls, the Shiv Sena’s fragmentation has left some voters confused. “I’ll vote for Shinde,” said fisherman Ashok Chavan. When asked why he doesn’t like Aaditya Thackeray, he looked perplexed. “I do. Don’t they belong to the same party?”

But Shinde seems to have won the hearts of a section of Kolis after his government widened the span between two piers of the Coastal Road from 59 metres to 120 metres, after protests and demands from fisherfolk who said their livelihoods were in danger. It’s a move that might translate to votes. 

“He has done a lot for the Koli community,” said Leela John Koli, 70. “We’re Shiv Sena supporters since Balasaheb’s time but are now inclined towards Shinde due to his work for our community.” Her friend, 75-year-old Natal Shanakr Pulawale, agreed – but only to an extent.

“Shinde has done work but so has Aaditya. We have to like both sides to live here. What can we even do?” she said. “Shinde should extend the Ladki Bahin Yojana to women above 60 as well, though. Look at the prices of daily goods. We have to make do with smaller quantities of food these days.”

A 78-year-old voter in Worli, who did not want to be named, said he was drawn to Balasaheb in the 1960s when the late leader campaigned “for us Marathis”. 

“There isn’t an election where I haven’t voted for him,” he said. “No one can do what he can do. Even Uddhav and Aaditya cannot. But I will vote for Aaditya as Balasaheb is in his blood.”

With inputs from Khyati Pandya.

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