By Apurva Bhatt

Shiv Sena's Trupti Sawant, widow of MLA Prakash Sawant whose death prompted a byelection in Bandra (East), handed Narayan Rane of Congress a humiliating defeat by over 19,000 votes.

For the Rane clan, it's the third consecutive defeat in a year, including two for Rane Sr that effectively ends his hopes for a political rehabilitation in Congress. He was defeated by the Sena's Vaibhav Naik from Kudal in the 2014 assembly polls. For Sena, victory on its home turf—Matoshree is in Bandra (E)—with an even better margin and against a bitter rival brought cheer. It not only delivers a much needed boost ahead of civic polls in Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad and later in Mumbai and Thane, but also acts as a reaffirmation of the Marathi voter's faith in its hardline politics.

But the cost is highest for Rane, who will now be at Congress' mercy. Ever since his Kudal defeat, Rane had been looking for an opportunity to boost his political capital. One option was to ask younger son Nitesh, elected from the Kankavali assembly constituency, to quit and contest the byelection. Unsure of victory, Rane had baulked.

The otherwise insignificant byelection in Bandra turned into a prestige battle the moment 64-year-old Rane threw his hat into the ring. Soon after his nomination was declared officially, the former CM swung into action, mobilizing all Congress, NCP and Dalit leaders in the city and campaigned extensively. Besides Pawar, state NCP president Sunil Tatkare, Congress leaders Naseem Khan,

Kripashankar Singh and city party chief Sanjay Nirupam canvassed for him. On the other hand, Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya, stepped up its efforts with the determination to make Rane bite the dust. The Sena focused on booth-level planning and there was not a single bylane in Bandra where father and son did not address a meeting or organize a road show. "On the day Rane's candidature was declared, we were determined to teach him a lesson. We defeated him and that too by a huge margin,'' said a senior Shiv Sena leader. Putting up a brave front, Rane said he would take all the blame for his defeat and that his party tried to help him in every way possible. "People opted to vote for sympathy and not development. I accept this. I don't mind if people want to stay the way they are and do not need development," he said.