Explained : Maharashtra civic polls: In Thane, parties fall back on dynasty politics & old guard | Thane News and Its Impact

THANE: Dynastic politics and experience have emerged as the top currency in Thane civic elections. Not only have family ties shaped candidatures —and in some cases triggered rebellions too—but parties have also largely reposed their faith in the old guard in Kalwa, Mumbra, Diva and Naupada-Kopri, with 29 sitting corporators securing nominations once again in 11 key wards.While political observers said organisational loyalty and lineage continue to outweigh grassroots leadership in Sena chief Eknath Shinde’s stronghold, party leaders defended the strategy, citing winnability and voter trust, and asserted that performance, not lineage, ultimately decides outcomes at the civic level.

In the Kolshet-Balkum belt, Sena veteran Devram Bhoir, son Sanjay, and daughters-in-law Usha and Sapna are contesting from different panels in ward 8, while a fifth relative, Bhushan Bhoir, entered the race as an independent from ward 3 after being denied a party ticket. Prakash Shinde, a former corporator and younger brother of Eknath Shinde, is in the fray, as is the wife of Sanjay More, Shiv Sena secretary and close associate of the deputy CM. The wife and the brother of another aide, former MLC Ravindra Fatak, are also contesting.When parties failed to accommodate loyalists’ kin, a few chose to go solo. In Ghodbunder, former corporator Namrata Gharat is contesting on a Sena ticket, while her husband, Ravi, is fighting as an independent. In Kalwa, former NCP (SP) corporator and now Independent contestant, Pramila Keni, and son Mandar, who is now a Sena candidate, are contesting from separate panels of the same ward.By fielding mostly known faces in the politically sensitive belts of Naupada, Kalwa-Mumbra and Diva, major parties have also clearly prioritised electability over experimentation. Observers pointed out that sitting corporators enjoy a distinct hyperlocal advantage that first-time candidates cannot replicate in a single campaign cycle.