In Mumbai's North Central seat, BJP's Ujjwal Nikam, Congress' Varsha Eknath Gaikwad seek to turn caste matrix in their favour

New Delhi [India], May 17 : In a bid to retain the sitting seat, the BJP has fielded 26/11 special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, replacing two-time MP Poonam Mahajan against Congress' Varsha Gaikwad from Maharashtra's Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat.
Varsha Gaikwad is currently serving as Dharavi MLA. Nikam, a senior Public Prosecutor, has appeared for the government in several high-profile cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai attack case.
The Mumbai North Central, which will go to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, comprises six assembly segments, including Vile Parle, Chandivali, Kurla, Kalina, Vandre East, and Vandre West.
The BJP, Congress and Shiv Sena are the major parties in the constituency. The seat has seen a spectrum of political affiliations, from Congress' Sharad Dighe to Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi.
BJP leader and daughter of Pramod Mahajan, Poonam Mahajan, has been representing the seat since 2014. Both times, Mahajan won the seat against Congress' Priya Dutt, the daughter of Bollywood actor Sunil Dutt.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, Poonam Mahajan won the seat by a margin of 1,86,771 votes, while in the 2019 general elections, Mahajan won the seat for the second time in a row with a margin of 1,30,005 votes.On his candidature, Nikam called it an "important step" in his life.
"For the common masses, Prime Minister Modi has worked a lot. He has increased the prestige of the country around the globe and he wants to contribute to his vision. No one can call our nation a banana country. I am not in politics for any gain. I have fought against organised crime, I have never fought from the accused side ever. A post as public prosecutor was not even well known in those days. I am glad I could put a stamp on it," Ujjwal Nikam told ANI during one of his campaigns.
"This is an election to save the Constitution of India, and our country. We will fight unitedly wholeheartedly and win," Varsha Gaikwad said on her candidature.
A major part of the constituency boasts the costliest homes and land parcels, while several areas are teeming with shanty towns, reflecting Mumbai's face as one of the country's migrant magnets.
Traffic congestion, infrastructure issues and pollution are some of the key issues debated in the constituency. The ruling party banks on schemes like slum rehabilitation and metro rail projects that are underway in the city.
The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the Lower House of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four. Following the split in the Shiva Sena 2022, the Eknath Shinde faction aligned with the BJP.