Priya Dutt, Medha Patkar, Sanjay Nirupam among the key contenders for Mumbai Lok Sabha elections

With Mumbai going to the polls tomorrow, dna took a look at the key candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai. With Mumbai being the commercial capital of the country and the largest metropolis, the Lok Sabha elections matter a lot to the city. With everything from railways, airports, mangroves all being central government subjects. Mumbai which is high on the target of many terrorists groups also depends on the central government's security forces to protect it from such threats.

We took a look at the key contenders fighting this elections.

Milind Deora (Congress) A two time incumbent of the south Mumbai constituency, Milind Deora is also the current Minister of state for shipping. Dependent on the large chunk of Muslim votes from the area between Crawford Market to Byculla, the Congress leader is accused of having made a deal with the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance to field a soft candidate from the constituency. According to Mumbaivotes his assets grew by a whopping 133% or Rs 23.3 crore in his last term as a MP.

Bala Nandgaonkar (MNS) A four time incumbent of the Shivadi (Sewri) constituency in Mumbai, Bala has won praise from Praja foundation for being the best MLA of the year twice. Besides being a senior member of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena he is also involved in various NGO activities. According to Mumbaivotes.com, he has asked nearly 4028 questions in the Maharashtra Legislature

Aditya Shirodkar (MNS) - South Central – The son of lawyer Rajan Shirodkar, Aditya, 28, is the head of the MNS’s youth wing. The youngest candidate fighting the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai this year, he is sure to give a tough fight to Eknath Gaikwad who many in his constituency say hasn’t been seen much. The Congress has fielded Eknath in the hope that the MNS wouldn’t field a candidate here.

Rahul Shewale (Shiv Sena) – South Central - Shewale who was the head of the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for 4 years is seen as a strong contender against his opponents Aditya Shirodkar of the MNS and Eknath Gaikwad of the Congress. His strength will remain the old bastions of the Shiv Sena that include Dadar and Wadala.

Priya Dutt (Congress), Daughter of actor and ex MP Sunil Dutt, Priya has been a favourite of the Mumbai North Central constituency. Besides being seen in the area for years and a common face amongst Bandraites, many in the film fraternity including Salman Khan have given her the thumbs up for this election.

Poonam Mahajan (BJP), Poonam is the daughter of BJP’s Pramod Mahajan who was killed in a shootout with his brother. Considered by many as a weak candidate she is hoping to ride on the ‘Modi wave’ against Priya Dutt. While the Gujarati neighbourhoods of Ghatkopar and other central suburbs may help her gain a large vote share, she will have to work twice as hard to beat the appeal of Priya Dutt amongst voters in the constituency.

Gurudas Kamat (Congress), Gurudas Kamat who was earlier elected from the North East seat was moved to contest from the North West constituency this election.

Mahesh Manjrekar (MNS), An acclaimed Marathi actor, Mahesh Manjrekar is contesting his first national elections, and is said to be playing a massive spoiler role for the Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar who is the Shiv Sena’s candidate.

Mayank Gandhi (AAP) One of AAP’s star Mumbai candidates, Mayank has been an activist for a long time now fighting against various issues. He was part of the India Against Corruption movement too before joining the Aam Aadmi Party and leading its Maharashtra chapter. 

Gajanan Kirtikar (Shiv Sena) Gajanan Kirtikar has been a 4 time MLA from the Malad constituency and is contesting the Mumbai North West constituency. While alleged to have played a major role in the 1993 riots, he was acquitted of all charges by a court in Mumbai.

Medha Patkar (AAP) The founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, Medha is contesting from the North East Lok Sabha constituency on an AAP ticket. Her entry in to the political fray has made things much tougher for the incumbent candidate of the NCP, Sanjay Dina Patil. Besides Sanjay, the BJP has also fielded a strong candidate in Kirit Somaiya

Kirit Somaiyya (BJP) A chartered accountant by profession, Kirit has been involved in exposing various scams. He has also been a long time convener of various financial awareness meetings. He is considered a strong candidate against NCP's Sanjay Dina Patil and Medha Patkar

Sanjay Nirupam (Congress) A former Shiv Sainik, Sanjay is the current incumbent from the North Mumbai constituency, he faces a tough battle from the BJP's Gopal Shetty. Sanjay had recently gone on a hunger strike demanding that electrcity rates in the city are reduced, however the government refused to listen to his demands.