FEBRUARY 25: From `managing' her husband's political career on the home-front to becoming a people's representative, Shiv Sena candidate Dinaz Patrawala raced ahead of her Congress rival to be elected from the Colaba Assembly constituency by a margin of 2,565 votes in the by-election today. Widow of veteran Congress leader and three-time MLA Marzaban Patrawala, she polled 16,368 votes against the 13,803 secured by corporator Annie Shekhar in what has traditionally been a Congress stronghold.The results of the by-election, caused by the death of Marzaban Patrawala a few days after the Assembly results were declared in October last year, are an embarassing defeat for the Congress-led Democratic Front government in the state. The defeat smarts even more since Patrawala had crossed over to the Sena soon after the by-election was declared when the Congress denied her a ticket to contest.PAtrawala's victory has, on the other hand, been a morale-booster for the Sena, which triggered the defection of two senior Congress leaders and former corporators - Kanti Dhulla and Saroj Kapadai - a day before polling. Both were trusted aides of Mumbai Congress chief Murli Deora. The Sena was so gung-ho about their coup that party chief Bal Thackeray, his son Uddhav and Union Minister for Heavy Industries Manohar Joshi had taken a personal interest in the campaigning.The by-election has also given the Sena the chance to tell the electorate that all is not well with the Democratic Front government. Says former chief minister Narayan Rane: ``The electorate has taught a lesson to the Vilasrao Deshmukh government. The electorate has voted against the complete failure of the new government on all fronts during its four month-rule.''However, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh says the by-election verdict will have no bearing on the political scenario in the state since Patrawala has won by a narrow margin. ``She got sympathy votes and was helped by the image of her late husband,'' he remarks.Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Prataprao Bhosle admits that it was ``suicidal'' for the party to have denied Patrawala a ticket. Both Bhosale and Minister of State for Home Kripa Shankar Singh had canvassed vigorously for her candidature. Adds Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President Murli Deora: ``I personally own moral responsibility for the result.''Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state unit President Babanrao Pachpute attributes Shekhar's defeat to ``internal bickering in the Congress'' while a majority of Congress leaders blame the NCP, its ally, for its failure to mobilise support for the Congress candiate. ``During the brief period of campaigning, not a single office bearer of the NCP visited the constituency for obvious political reasons,'' according to a senior Congress leader.On her unexpected victory, Patrawala says she would endeavour to complete the dream of her husband and fulfill the aspirations of the people. Following her election, the strength of Sena in the house of 288 has risen from 69 to 70.
