The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was the star in the Marathi-speaking eastern suburbs. Among those it trounced were Poonam Mahajan, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and daughter of the late Pramod Mahajan.

Shishir Shinde (Bhandup), Mangesh Sangle (Vikhroli) and Ram Kadam (Ghatkopar West) stormed the traditional Shiv Sena strongholds.

Defeating two first-time women candidates, Kadam won in the new Ghatkopar West constituency. While the Congress fielded Janet D’Souza, daughter of late minister Celine D’Silva, the BJP fielded Poonam. A large crowd celebrated Kadam’s win on the streets of Barve Nagar.

There was a crowd outside St Xaviers Secondary School in Bhandup, a counting centre, too. MNS supporters cheered as Shinde quickly opened up a 17,000-vote lead. He eventually won with
68,302 votes in his favour while the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP’s) Shivaji Nalawde secured 37,000 votes.

In Vikhroli, the MNS’ Mangesh Sangle (35) won with a margin of almost 20,000 votes. He said it was because the MNS took a stand against the government plan to create a dumping ground at Vikhroli.

In Chembur, Congress sitting MLA Chandrakant Handore (52) won again, polling 47,431 votes against the MNS’ Anil Chavhan who got 29,465 votes. In Chandivali, HB Singh, a Naseem Khan supporter, said: “The only person who would be uncertain of Naseem Khan’s win would be Khan himself.” The Congressman won with a margin of 33,715 votes. In Kalina, the Congress’ Kripa Shankar Singh couldn’t stop smiling as he exited the Prabhat Colony counting booth. He was garlanded and hoisted party workers on their shoulders after he beat the MNS’ Chandrakant More
(45).

In Mankhurd, it was the city’s richest candidate, the Samajwadi Party’s Abu Asim Azmi, who won.