323 candidates’ fate to be decided on Monday

Mumbai: The high-voltage campaign for the state’s 17 Lok Sabha constituencies, whi-ch will go to polls in the fourth phase on April 29 ended Saturday. The fate of 323 candidates will be decided in the fourth phase of polling on Monday.

During campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed rallies in Nandurbar, Dindori and Mumbai while Congress president Rahul Gandhi held a single rally in Shirdi.

Interesting contests on the cards are between ac-tor-turned-politician Ur-mila Matondkar in Mumbai north constituency where she faces a tough task of unseating BJP veteran and sitting MP Gopal Shetty.

On the last day of the fourth phase of the campaign, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted a road show in Kurla west for Mumbai north-central candidate Poonam Mahajan.

Navneet Rana Kaur of the Yuva Swabhiman par-ty campaigned for Parth Pawar, son of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar at Lonavala in Maval. Mr Parth is contesting against Sena candidate Shrirang Barne.

For the NCP, Maval is a prestigious seat as it will see the debut of the third generation of the Pawar family. Cricketer-turned-politician and senior Con-gress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt campaigned for Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora. Mr Deora is contesting against Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant.

Mr Dutt also sought a mandate for his sister and Congress candidate Priya Dutt, who is contesting against Ms Mahajan from the Mumbai north-central seat.  Bhojpuri film actor and Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari too campaigned for Ms Mahajan.

Marathi television actor Dr Amol Kolhe, who was the Sena’s star campaigner during the 2014 Lok Sabha election, is contesting from the Shirur seat on a NCP ticket against the Sena candidate Aadhalrao Dattatrey.

Former Mumbai Congr-ess president and the party’s parliamentary ca-ndidate from the Mumbai north-west seat, Sanjay Nirupam, is contesting against Sena’s veteran leader Gajanan Kirtikar and SP aspirant and UP legislator Subhash Passi.

Actor Shatrughan Sinha, who quit the BJP, joined the Congress, and is contesting from the Patna Sahib seat in Bihar, came to the city to campaign for Mr Nirupam, who also hails from Bihar.

In Dindori, the BJP is facing a stiff challenge from Left leader Jiva Pandu Gavit.

The 17 constituencies include Nandurbar, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik (north Maharashtra), Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane (outskirts of Mumbai), Mumbai north, Mumbai north-west, Mumbai north-central, Mumbai north-east, Mumbai south and Mumbai south-central, Maval and Shirur (Pune district) and Shirdi (Ahmednagar district).