Mumbai Shiv Sena (UBT) MP calls Shiv Sena woman candidate ‘maal’, sparks row

Mumbai, Nov 01 : Sparks flew off after a Shiv Sena (UBT) MP referred to a Shiv Sena woman candidate for the Assembly elections from a south Mumbai seat as "maal" (goods), but later backtracked saying that she had misunderstood him, here on Friday.

During a media interaction in the poll campaign a couple of days ago, the SS (UBT)’s MP from Mumbai South Arvind Sawant was asked about the prospects of the rival SS nominee Shaina Nana Chudasama, a fashionista popular as Shaina NC, who is contesting from Mumbadevi Assembly seat, vis-a-vis Congress three-term MLA Amin Patel.

Though a Bharatiya Janata Party leader for years, owing to seat adjustments, Shaina NC has joined SS and given the ticket to the prestigious Mumbadevi seat where she has locked horns with Congress’ strongman Patel, and a strong BJP rebel Atul H. Shah.

“Yahan pe imported ‘maal’ nahin chalega… Yahan pe original ‘maal’ chalta hai, aur wo hai hamare paas, Amin Patel…” said Sawant, pointing at a smiling Patel.

Referring to the statement labelling as a "maal" -- which also means ‘item’ in slang -- the comely but unfazed Shaina NC hit back saying that “we (BJP) had campaigned for him and he was elected on our strength.”

“Ask him from where he is…? I am a ‘laadli’ (beloved) daughter of Mumbai, and working for the people of the city. I don’t need certificates from Sawant or the SS (UBT),” said Shaina NC with a smile.

When queried about this further, Sawant claimed that he had very close personal equations with Shaina NC and she may have misunderstood his ("maal") comment.

“It also refers to as goods, but she could have misinterpreted it… I had no such intentions,” said Sawant in an apparent clarification.

Mumbadevi (earlier, Umarkhadi), is a minority-heavy Assembly constituency which elected Patel in 2009, and later, even in the BJP waves of 2014 and 2019 in what was formerly a saffron bastion.

Patel and Shaina NC’s rebel BJP contender is Shah, ex-MLA from the erstwhile Khetwadi seat, and could be a potential vote-cutter.

However, hectic talks are currently on to make him withdraw and bolster the prospects of the MahaYuti’s SS woman nominee hailing from a mixed Gujarati-Dawoodi Bohra Muslim lineage.