BMC elections: Challenge for Congress from BJP, MIM in Bandra, Khar

The BJP has perhaps seen the biggest growth among various political groups in the plush suburbs of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz West. Poonam Mahajan overcame an embattled-from-within Congress to win the general election in the summer of 2014. With the BJP snapping ties with the Shiv Sena ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections, Shelar’s win over sitting Congress legislator Baba Siddique without the Sena’s support was symbolic of his growing clout in the region.

Deputy Mayor Alka Kerkar, also the BJP corporator for Ward 93, says residents here are witness to the party’s work on the ground. “BJP’s and Shelar’s efforts have been noticed by the active residents and it will help us get the votes we deserve. If the alliance with the Shiv Sena doesn’t happen, we will contest and win from all six electoral wards in H West. Even if the alliance is forged, we want to contest from the majority of the seats in the ward,” she says.

Over the past couple of years, say local residents, Shelar has been making attempts to increase the party’s visibility in the area. From carrying out various repairs and other development work to conducting meetings with residents’ associations or advocating for open spaces, Shelar has been reaching out to all, especially the Christians and Muslims who comprise a sizeable portion of the ward’s population.

But among those uncomfortable with Shelar’s noticeably growing presence in the ward is the Shiv Sena. Recently, several Muslim BJP office bearers from H West Ward defected to the Shiv Sena, seen as a major setback to Shelar. Admitting the need to increase its presence, Sena leaders have said the party will ensure that it will not be a smooth passage for the BJP in the BMC polls.

Promising to make a mark in the upcoming civic elections, senior Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao says the party is serious about winning majority of the seats in H West. “We already have our shakhas in place in Bandra, Khar and Santa Cruz where we help resolve the issues people bring to us. Our work is visible in the ward, which will translate into votes. If the alliance doesn’t take place, we are prepared to win all six seats,” she says. Even though Shiv Sena did not win any of the three seats it had contested here in 2012, Geeta Chavan, who was an MNS corporator from Ward 92, has recently joined the Sena.

Among the other political contenders being seen as serious players is the MIM, which will woo the Muslim population in Bandra, formerly a committed Congress vote bank, and no longer so. Member of the Legislative Assembly Waris Pathan says the MIM will appeal for the support of the Qureshi Community residing in areas near the Jamat-e-Jamuria masjid. “We are planning to field two candidates from H West and we will surely win at least one of the seats. Our party has already begun work in the ward and has recently opened two offices on S V Road for the redressal of public issues,” he adds.

Of six electoral wards in H West, Congress corporators currently represent four. Congress corporator Asif Zakaria says the party, as always, will field candidates from all six wards. “Our primary aim is to retain all the four wards we won last time and we are planning to have strong candidates in the other two wards as well,” he says.

Another senior Congress leader, however, admits that the party’s chances look bleak. “Barring the BJP and Shiv Sena, all the parties will field their candidates separately and there is a growing concern that the secular vote will be divided,” he says.

While H West has many active citizens who take up various infrastructural issues in the ward with the BMC, there are some recurring issues that are yet to be resolved, including open defecation (OD) and management of solid waste. According to ward officials, there are three ‘OD spots’ in Rahul Nagar, Qureshi Nagar and Carter Road. “While the BMC is putting the infrastructure in place, the population is still growing and there is still a need for more toilets. In addition to constructing toilet seats, people have to refrain from defecating in the open,” says Kelkar.

The problem of management of garbage is particularly visible in Congress corporator Sunita Wavekar’s Ward 92, which includes Khar Danda and Chuim villages. “Since majority of the population in my ward lives in slums, door-to-door collection of garbage is not completely implemented. And the BMC has now removed all garbage bins too. However, people’s habits are hard to beat and now they are dumping their garbage all over the place,” she says.

Also, according to the findings of the BMC’s Environment Status Report 2015, 10 per cent of the water samples in H West were found to be unfit for drinking. The figure is higher than the recorded figures of 2013 (8 per cent) and 2014 (4 per cent).

Corporators unanimously agree that the hawkers on Linking Road, Hill Road or even SV V Road cause a major impediment to vehicle as well as pedestrian movement. “The issue of hawkers in H West has been a long standing one and they return even if the BMC takes action. However, BMC takes action on illegal encroachments only on the basis of complaints. They need to adopt a more proactive approach for effective results,” says Zakaria.

After the delimitation, the number of electoral wards has remained the same in the ward. Of the six electoral wards, one has been reserved for the Scheduled Tribe category, one for OBC women, and one for women in general category.