Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Anil Desai has won from the Mumbai South Central constituency, defeating two-time MP Rahul Shewale (Shinde Shiv Sena) by 53,384 votes. Desai won 3,95,138 votes, while Shewale got 3,41,754.
Desai trailed by 29,420 votes in the first round. However, he led from the second until the final 21st round. Fifteen candidates contested, but the main fight was between Desai and Shewale.
Mumbai South Central comprises six Vidhan Sabha areas: Anushakti Nagar,Chembur, Dharavi, Sion Koliwada, Wadala, and Mahim. Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi, is in this constituency, while Chembur and Mahim are affluent areas. Desai received votes from almost all areas with a high margin. This time, 53.6% of votes were registered in the constituency.
Shiv Sena Bhavan is in Mumbai South Central, and the party has been dominant in Dadar. That is why everyone was paying attention to the results in this constituency. Desai was in the fray for the first time, against a two-term MP.