Mumbai, April 30 (IANS): The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Tuesday named party legislator from Byculla, Yamini Jadhav, as its candidate for the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency against Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee and sitting MP Arvind Sawant.

The two Shiv Sena factions are now pitted against each other after the BJP left its claim over the South Mumbai seat.

In her first reaction, Yamini Jadhav said, ‘’We will fight as MahaYuti and win the seat.’’

Yamni Jadhav's candidature was announced days ahead of the last date for filing of nomination on May 3, while the polling will take place in Mumbai South on May 20.

Names of Rajya Sabha member and former minister Milind Deora and Jadhav’s husband and ex-BMC Standing Committee Chairman Yashwant Jadhav were doing the rounds for the South Mumbai seat in the Shiv Sena circles.

On the other hand, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and BJP Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha were the frontrunners for the BJP.

Jadhav was one of the 39 legislators who had joined Eknath Shinde after his coup against former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022, which led to a split in the Shiv Sena. Jadhav was first elected to the BMC in 2012 following which she worked in various committees of the civic body.

She was elected from the Byculla Assembly constituency in the 2019 elections.