Late Sena leader's son Anand Paranjpe wins Thane bypoll

THANE BYPOLL: Shiv Sena's popularity in Thane still stands strong.

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Thane: Late Sena leader, Prakash Paranjpe's son Anand Paranjpe has won a by-election in Thane.

It seems that even three-months after Prakash Paranjpe's death, the Shiv Sena's popularity in Thane still stands strong.

Anand Paranjpe emerged victorious in Thane Lok Sabha by-polls after defeating his opponent Sanjeev Naik of the NCP by a margin of 86,565 votes.

Prakash Paranjpe’s death in February necessitated the bypolls and his son Anand took an early lead over Naik and maintained it throughout.

“It’s everybody's victory, right from the grassroot level workers to the common man,” says Anand.

Thane has traditionally been a Shiv Sena stronghold. Senior NCP leaders like deputy Chief Minister RR Patil had campaigned hard to wrest power from the Shiv Sena, which it has had in the last four elections.

"The common man has spoken out against goondaism and terrorism.That is why we won,” says Shiv Sena Leader, Uddhav Thackeray.

However, Paranjpe's victory is believed to be the result of a strong sympathy wave and low voter turnout in Thane.