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After returning to electoral politics nearly two decades later, Shaina NC is all set to contest this month’s Maharashtra assembly polls from the Mumbadevi seat on a ticket from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena
In a keenly fought battle, a lot of unkind barbs have been thrown at the Mumbadevi candidate from the opposition. File image
After having joined the BJP about a couple of decades ago, Shaina NC, a popular name in the Mumbai social circle, is all set to contest this month’s Maharashtra assembly polls from the Mumbadevi seat on a Shiv Sena ticket.
Campaigning in the crowded area of Kamathipura, one of the biggest red light areas across Asia, Shaina was flanked by women supporters who were hopeful that she could bring about a change in a place, which is practically without any development and does not have a basic facility like a hospital.
CNN-News18 spoke to the candidate from the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, and she said that the ruling Mahayuti is all set for another term in government. Thanking the Mahayuti leadership for giving her the ticket, Shaina is confident of a victory. “The women have benefited from the schemes of the Shinde government this time. I’m confident that they will bring about a change by looking at the work done by Prime Minister Modi,” she said. Shaina is up against the constituency’s three-time Congress MLA Amin Patel. All the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will go to the polls on November 20 and the counting of votes will be held on November 23.
To the people of her constituency, she promises not just development but how the meaning of her initials would signify a change. “I am shocked to know that the lok adalat is taking place all over Mumbai, except for my constituency, and I wonder why this has been done; merely for politics? Illegal construction and lobbying with builders have been the order of the day. All I can show the people of my constituency is that my name has the initials NC, which will certainly mean, ‘non-corruptible’.”
In a keenly fought battle, a lot of unkind barbs have been thrown at the Mumbadevi candidate from the opposition, against which she has also taken strict action. Shaina says that she only registered a complaint to prove a point to the male misogynists: they cannot win the battle through this regressive approach. “I have been called multiple names. I can be called ‘maal’, an ‘item’, ‘bakri’, or even a ‘dog’. It doesn’t really matter to me what is said about me, but there has to be a lesson taught to people that this narrative of calling women names will not work,” Shaina said.
Interestingly, her constituency has a significant minority vote bank and many feel that it will be a tough seat for the BJP-turned-Sena leader to win. “Irrespective of the percentage of Hindus or Muslims, the most important aspect will be for people to come out and vote. I have lived all my life in South Mumbai, and I will continue to work for the cause of the people. People have seen appeasement politics, and it is no longer ‘kaum ki rajneeti’ (communal politics) but ‘kaam ki rajneeti’ (work-driven politics),” she said.
There is a strong need for all forces to unite against the divisive forces that are trying to use the Dalits and others to spread false narratives among the public only to secure votes, said Shaina. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strengthened the Constitution by taking the preamble to the schoolchildren. So the false narrative of the opposition trying to scare people will not cut ice anymore,” the former BJP spokesperson said.
A representative in the social circles for promoting the causes of women and talking about the importance of fitness, yoga, and a cultural ambassador for multiple issues, including cancer, for the last three generations, Shaina and her family have been residents of the posh South Mumbai area. Having once contested on a BJP ticket in the noughties, a poll that she lost, this is Shaina’s return to electoral politics after nearly two decades.
