Shinde Announces Controversial Candidates for 2 Mumbai seats

Mumbai:The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Tuesday announced Ravindra Waikar and Yamini Jadhav as its candidates from Mumbai North West and Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituencies. Both the candidates have been facing corruption allegations, particularly by the BJP.

Waikar is going to contest against Shiv Sena UBT candidate Amol Kirtikar, who is also being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate over the alleged Khichadi scam during Covid pandemic.

So far Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena has announced 12 candidates. BJP led Mahayuti is yet to announce their candidates from Nashik, Palghar and Thane constituencies.

The BJP wanted to contest the Mumbai South seat by fielding its candidate Mangal Prabhat Lodha or Maharashtra Assembly speaker Rahul Narvekar but the Shiv Sena refused to give up the seat.

When Yamini Jadhav and her husband Yashwant Jadhav was with Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena (undivided), the ED had issued summons to Yashwant in connection with the alleged violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act in May 2022.Yashwant is ex-chairman of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee. The ED's summons was based on the searches conducted by the income tax (I-T) department on several premises linked to Yashwant Jadhav and his wife Yamini Jadhav.

Senior BJP leader and former Lok Sabha member Kirit Somaiya had also made serious allegations of Rs 1,000 crore money laundering against Yashwant Jadhav and Yamini Jadhav. He had alleged that the couple had bought 36 buildings with 1000 flats/shops/offices in Mumbai within 24 months.

After vertical split of Shiv Sena by Eknath Shinde, Yashwant and Yamini joined the Shinde faction. Yamini is currently MLA from Byculla Assembly constituency, which is one of the Assembly segments of the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat.

Mr. Waikar was considered to be a close associate of Uddhav Thackeray. He is MLA from Jogeshwar. He joined the Eknath Shinde faction in March 2024.

Waikar is facing investigations by the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and Mumbai Police’s EOW (Economic Offences Wing) in connection with construction of a luxury hotel on a plot owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

In March 2023, Somaiya accused Waikar of illegally obtaining approval for a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a garden, causing a loss to the BMC. He also filed a complaint to Mumbai Police’s EOW.

Elections will take place in all six Lok Sabha constituencies of Mumbai in the fifth phase on May 20. The last date for filing nomination is May 3.

BJP has fielded Mihir Kotecha, Piyush Goyal and Ujjwal Nikam from Mumbai North East, Mumbai North and Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seats respectively. The remaining three Mumbai seats will be contested by the Shiv Sena, including Mumbai South Central, where sitting MP Rahul Shewale is the NDA candidate.