The Navi Mumbai Assembly seats of Panvel and Belapur, which fall under the Raigad and Thane districts, respectively, witnessed a decent voter turnout. However, voters expressed confusion about the potential winners, citing the division within parties like the NCP and Shiv Sena. Many believe this will lead to a neck and neck fight in both constituencies. Some voters remarked that in the history of Maharashtra, they have never encountered such closely contested elections, leaving them uncertain about the outcome even after casting their votes.

“I have never seen such battles in Maharashtra. In the Belapur constituency, where BJP’s Manda Mhatre won in 2019 with a huge margin, she now faces a tough challenge from Sandeep Naik who was with the BJP just days before the election but switched to NCP (SP) at the last minute. Despite Mhatre’s good work, Naik has a strong voter base, making this a closely fought contest. Real issues like infrastructure, unmaintained gardens, traffic, and roads are no longer the primary focus for voters who seem torn between voting based on party divisions or development. I see a neck and neck fight between the two,” said Laxman Sanobat, a voter from Belapur.