Last minute campaigning marks final push before silence period

Elsewhere, Shiv Sena candidate Vandana Gawli, sister-in-law of Arun Gawli, wrapped up her campaign with a bike rally through Currey Road, Prabhadevi and adjoining areas. Party workers said the rally was planned to cover the entire constituency in the final hours.

“After completing our regular campaign, we decided to tour the whole constituency one last time. The bike rally started at noon and went on till 5 pm,” said Omkar Golavankar from Gawli’s team.

A long line of two-wheelers, with party workers wearing saffron scarves, moved through the streets as Gawli waved to residents from a distance. Campaign speeches focused on development for the Marathi manoos, Gawli’s work as a former corporator and her association with Arun Gawli, despite her split from his Akhil Bharatiya Sena.

“This election will show who the real Shiv Sena is. We have the bow and arrow symbol,” said party worker Bhavesh Bhatia.

Not far away in Currey Road, the Shiv Sena (UBT) staged a similar bike rally led by former mayor Kishori Pednekar. Passing high-rises that are replacing chawls and slums, campaigners urged voters to support the mashaal symbol.

Pednekar began her day by completing door-to-door campaigning in Dhobi Ghat, before moving from shaka to shaka and eventually joining the rally. Party workers said her long association with the area and her tenure as mayor worked in her favour.

“She has worked here for decades, both before and during her time as mayor, including during the Covid period. Voters who believe in Balasaheb Thackeray will stand with the real Shiv Sena,” said a party worker accompanying her.

In Dahisar, BJP candidate Tejaswi Ghosalkar opted for a public rally across the constituency. In a notable moment, she was joined by her two children, aged five and 11, on the campaign chariot — a gesture seen as an emotional appeal in an area where the Ghosalkar family’s political influence has been closely watched following her switch from Shiv Sena (UBT) to the BJP.

Tejaswi is the daughter-in-law of former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar and was earlier a Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator. Her husband, Abhishek Ghosalkar, a former corporator, was killed in February 2024 in a shooting that shocked the city.

Other candidates preferred a quieter approach on the final day. BJP’s Harshita Narwekar spent the last few hours on door-to-door outreach in parts of Ward 225 that she had not been able to visit earlier. Accompanied by party workers keeping a close watch on the time, Narwekar visited residential and commercial buildings near Manish Market, distributing pamphlets and reminding voters of her symbol and EVM number.

“I have tried to reach people through door-to-door campaigns, meetings and sabhas. On the last day, the effort is to meet those we could not reach earlier,” Narwekar told The Indian Express.