Pune: Former BJP corporator Ravi Landge officially joined Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena at Matoshree in Mumbai on Tuesday (August 20).

Thackeray, during the event, hinted that the Bhosari Assembly constituency would remain under Shiv Sena (UBT) influence, potentially signaling a tougher contest in the upcoming elections.

Thackeray’s move has sparked speculation about a potential internal rivalry for the Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket in Bhosari. The current BJP MLA, Mahesh Landge, has already been confirmed as the party’s candidate, supported by Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena.

However, with Ravi Landge now in the picture, Thackeray’s Shiv Sena gains additional strength, particularly in a constituency where Sharad Pawar’s NCP also has significant clout.

Sulabha Ubale and newly-inducted Ravi Landge are likely to compete for the Shiv Sena UBT nomination, while Ajit Gawhane is the front-runner for the NCP (SP). For now, it remains to be seen how the seat-sharing dilemma within the Mahavikas Aghadi will be resolved.

In the 2019 elections, Mahesh Landge secured a decisive victory with 160,000 votes, defeating NCP’s Vilas Lande by over 77,000 votes. The 2024 assembly elections are expected to see a direct battle between the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

In the Lok Sabha elections, Mahayuti candidate Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil secured only a 9,000-vote margin in this constituency, a sharp drop from the 37,000-vote margin in the previous election.

The outcome in Bhosari could be pivotal, given the long-standing dominance of the Lande and Landge families in the constituency. The BJP may face a challenging battle this time, particularly if internal seat-sharing issues within the Maha Vikas Aghadi remain unresolved.