Navi Mumbai: Mixed emotions marked the mood at the Naik household on Saturday with former minister and six-time MLA Ganesh Naik of BJP securing victory from Airoli constituency while his son Sandeep, who recently switched to NCP(SP), losing Belapur seat to BJP’s incumbent MLA Manda Mhatre by a narrow margin of 377 votes.
Political analysts note that Independent candidate and former IAS officer Vijay Nahata potentially divided Sandeep’s vote share.
Sandeep, who was BJP’s Navi Mumbai chief but defected to NCP(SP) after being denied a party ticket from Belapur, said, “It was a one-man show for me as the entire family stayed away from my campaign. However, I managed the show with the support of former corporators and cadres from ally Sena (UBT). The result was unexpected. I was leading but suddenly the outcome turned against me. I think there’s something fishy.”
“I will knock on the door of the court challenging the verdict given by EC. My request for recounting of votes was turned down. I was confident about my victory and something went wrong,” said Sandeep, who was promised a significant role by NCP(SP) if MVA won the polls.
—BB Nayak