In another setback to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), former MLA Rupesh Mhatre joined the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Mhatre, a two-term former MLA from Bhiwandi East, was welcomed into Shinde’s faction by the CM.
In 2009, Abu Azmi filed his nomination for both the Bhiwandi and Govandi assembly seats. After winning both, he vacated Bhiwandi East, leading to a 2010 by-election where Mhatre defeated Azmi’s son, Farhan Azmi. In 2014, Mhatre won again, defeating BJP candidate Santosh Shetty. However, in 2019, he narrowly lost to Raees Shaikh from the Samajwadi Party by 1,300 votes.
For the 2024 election, after being denied a ticket by Shiv Sena (UBT), Mhatre initially filed as an independent candidate from Bhiwandi East but withdrew on November 4 after expressing dissatisfaction with the UBT leadership.
In Bhiwandi East, incumbent MLA Raees Shaikh is again running in 2024. Santosh Shetty, who left the BJP to join Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, was announced as the Mahayuti candidate.
