The descent of Navi Mumbai’s uncrowned king
Hindustan TimesGanesh Naik, once the strongman of Thane district, is at a cross-roads in his political career which is unlikely to ease. Naik contested the assembly election as an independent with the support of Nationalist Congress Party 1999, but unexpectedly lost to Shiv Sena candidate Sitaram Bhoir; he claimed he had been cheated of victory. His clout grew in Thane district when his elder son Sanjeev Naik won the Lok Sabha election from the Shiv Sena stronghold of Thane constituency in 2009. In the assembly election that year, Naik’s arch-rival in the party Manda Mhatre, who had quit the NCP and joined BJP, blaming Naik for her exit, defeated him by 1,491 votes. Sandeep Naik managed to scrape through by a margin of 8,725 votes defeating Shiv Sena candidate Vijay Chougule, thanks to his cousin and BJP candidate Vaibhav Naik, polling 46,405 votes, thereby damaging Chougule’s prospects.
History of this topic
BJP's Rahul Narvekar re-elected unopposed as Maharashtra Assembly Speaker
India Today
Maharashtra polls: Naik family has won Yavatmal's Pusad seat for 72 years
Hindustan Times
Division of votes will decide fate of Naik family in Navi Mum
Hindustan Times
Maharashtra polls: Ganesh Naik, son in fray to regain family's Navi Mumbai dominance
Hindustan Times
HT Interview: I will win purely because of my work in Navi Mumbai, says Ganesh Naik
Hindustan TimesDiscover Related
