Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and four-time Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut is likely to contest as the joint Opposition INDIA bloc candidate from Mumbai north-east constituency, a seat currently held by the ruling BJP.
Raut, who was re-elected to Rajya Sabha for his fourth term in June last year, has gone on record saying that his party had asked him to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai north-east constituency which is currently represented by Manoj Kotak of the BJP.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which the Shiv Sena and BJP had contested as an alliance, Kotak had defeated NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil by a margin of 3,06, 486. Mumbai north-east seat had gone to the BJP in the seat-sharing formula worked out between the two saffron alliance parties then.
Though no decision has been taken yet by the joint Opposition alliance on the choice of its candidate for Mumbai north-east, Raut stands a good chance of being the joint candidate of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising the Congress, Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT).
The factors that will weigh in favour of Raut are that in the six Assembly segments falling under the Mulund north-east seat, the Shiv Sena holds two seats, while the one seat is held by the Opposition Samajwadi Party, while the three remaining Assembly seats are held by the BJP.
Secondly, given that Raut is very close to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, the latter would not be averse to supporting Raut’s candidature.
Raut, who has been spokesperson of the Shiv Sena for more than two and half decades now, is the executive editor of the Shiv Sena’s official mouth-piece “Saamana”. He was first elected to Rajya Sabha in 2004.
After that he was elected to the Upper House for three more consecutive terms.
On his part, Raut has said that since he has five years to complete in his fourth term of Rajya Sabha, he is not keen to contest the Lok Sabha polls. “But if my party insists on me contesting the Lok Sabha polls, I would definitely contest,” Raut has said.