From 50 Years Ago: First Judgment

First Judgment

This Sunday’s by-election to the Maharashtra Assembly from the Lalbaug-Parel constituency in Bombay will provide the Bombay voter with his first chance to pass judgment on the record of Shiv Sena. On the eve of the election, forecasters are certain only that the final tally will be a close one. In the 1967 Assembly elections, which the Shiv Sena did not contest, the late Krishna Desai, who was the victim of a political murder in June last and whose widow, Sarojini Desai, is now the CPI candidate, won by an impressive margin of some 10,000 votes. However, a year later, in the 1908 municipal elections Shiv Sena and its then electoral ally, PSP won all the five Corporation seats which comprise the Lalbaug-Parel Assembly constituency. Three of the victorious Shiv Sena candidates, moreover, polled more votes than all their opponents put together — a fact which does not lend comfort to CPI’s hope that the backing of Congrcss(R), PSP, SSP and Republican Party will now get its candidate the winning margin. And even should Sarojini Desai reap some reward, particularly from the backing of Congress(R), it will be at least partly offset by the votes the Shiv Sena candidate, Wamanrao Mahadik, will gain from the support of Congress(O) and Jan Sangh.