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- By Parinda News Bureau, February 20, 2006, 11:33 IST
Sena retains Srivardhan, loses Naigaum to Congress
Sena's string of defeats since last year came to an end oh Sunday when the party won the Shrivardhan Assembly by-election. It was Shiv Sena's Raigad pattern' and not Revenue Minister Narayan Rane's "Malwan pattern' that worked in Shrivardhan assembly, a jubilant Sena said soon after its nominee Tukaram Surve won the bypoll in the constituency.
Sena candidate Tukaram Surve won the Shrivardhan seat by defeating his Congress rival Shyam Sawant by a margin of 15752 votes. However, the Sena's grip over Mumbai continued to slip with its candidate Shraddha Jadhav losing to Sena rebel turned congress candidate Kalidas Kolambkar.
He defeated her by over 22,000 votes.
Kolambkar polled 44694 votes as against Sena nominee who got just 22,283 votes. Sena candidate Tukaram Surve from Shrivardhan polled 61,995 votes as against Congress's Shyam Sawant who bagged 46240 votes.
Victory in Shrivardhan has come as a shot in the arm for Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray who was a accused by disgruntled cousin Raj Thackeray of weak leadership. Senior Sena leader Subhash Desai termed the Shrivardhan win as a victory of good over evil. The result shows that the muscle and money power of Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, whose supporters were in fray as Congress nominees, failed to do the trick, he said.
"Rane's Malwan pattern, that of terrorising voters, did not work, neither did his money power", Desai said. "Even the brains of Union Minister A R Antulay, who worked hard to ensure victory of the Congress nominee, did not yield result", Desai said. "The dedication of Shiv Sainiks and workers of Peasants and Workers Party, which supported Sena in the bypoll, led to Surve's victory", Desai said.
However, Naigaum assembly seat, where the by-election was held on February 16 along with Shrivardhan, went to Congress. Exulting over the victory of Congress candidate in Naigaum Assembly by-election, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said that the win had further strengthened the party position. The Naigaum result was an indication of the party's performance in next year's Mumbai Municipal Corporation elections, Deshmukh said.
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