Two-Term sitting MLA from Nalasopara Kshitij Thakur (Bahujan Vikas Aghadi) is all set to encounter tough opposition in political newcomer and Shiv Sena candidate Pradeep Sharma. For Thakur as well as the citizens of Nalasopara, the upcoming polls are going to be dramatically different from the earlier ones. Unlike the 2009 and 2014 assembly polls, where the Harvard graduate managed a smooth entry into the Vidhan Sabha, this year he will face a former encounter specialist.

The new challenge has sent Thakur's Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) into heavy preparation mode. Thakur had defeated his rival Chavan Shirish Jayram of the Shiv Sena in 2009 with 89,284 votes against the Sena candidate's 48,502 votes. Similarly, in 2014, the BVA candidate defeated BJP's Rajan Balkrishna Naik who polled 59,067 votes as against 1,13,566 votes garnered by Thakur.