Congress breaks Shiv Sena stronghold with Asha Kale’s historic win in Dharavi

In a landmark victory that could reshape Mumbai’s civic political map, Congress candidate Asha Deepak Kale clinched the first confirmed win for her party in the fiercely fought Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Kale defeated Shiv Sena’s Vaishali Shewale by a decisive margin of 1,450 votes in Ward 183, Dharavi—one of Asia’s largest and most politically sensitive slum clusters.

Kale’s triumph not only breaks the Shiv Sena’s hold on this strategic central Mumbai ward but also sends a strong message of Congress’s renewed challenge to entrenched power structures. Celebrating her win, Kale credited the unwavering support of party stalwarts MP Varsha Gaikwad and MLA Jyoti Gaikwad, calling it “a victory of our party workers and the people of Dharavi.”

The BJP, meanwhile, was dismissed by Kale as no serious contender in the ward, underscoring the direct battle between Congress and Shiv Sena in this crucial battleground.

Vaishali Shewale, the defeated Shiv Sena candidate and sister-in-law of former MP Rahul Shewale, suffered a blow as the result delivered a morale boost for Congress amid what has been termed one of the most high-stakes BMC polls in recent memory.

Other key developments

Congress also made gains in Ward 165, Kurla West, with Ashraf Azmi securing a win, reinforcing the party’s foothold in critical wards. BJP’s Ajay Patil claimed victory in Ward 214, while Shiv Sena reeled from early losses, including the significant Dharavi defeat.

Voter turnout and election dynamics

The election saw a 52.94% voter turnout, slightly down from 55.53% in 2017. Suburban Ward 114 in Bhandup recorded the highest turnout at 64.53%, while south Mumbai’s Ward 227 in Colaba saw the lowest at 20.88%. Out of over 1.03 crore eligible voters, just over half exercised their franchise on January 15.

With nearly 1,700 candidates contesting for 227 seats, the BMC—India’s richest municipal corporation with a Rs 74,400 crore budget—remains a fiercely contested arena. The stakes have never been higher as this election serves as a critical political barometer for Mumbai’s power equations after the civic body’s term ended in March 2022.