The 67-year-old defeated Milind Deora to win a second consecutive term from the South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat. The Shiv Sena MP, who will make his debut as the heavy industry minister, is a quintessential son of the soil. He grew up in the chawls of Sewri - a place dominated by mill workers who had lost their jobs due to the closure of several textile mills in central Mumbai.

The former MTNL employee received more votes than Deora, not only from the chawls but also from the Malabar Hill voters - showing their preference for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. A close confidant of the Thackeray family, Sawant's priority is to redevelop the central Mumbai slums and the British-era BDD chawls.

He was one of the few members of parliament who were extremely vocal in the last Parliament session and reported 90 per cent attendance.