Maha polls: Malabar Hill, the perfect mix

Residences of some of the richest and important people of Mumbai, with slum pockets and marginalised areas of Kamathipura, the upscale Malabar Hill Assembly segment

Residences of some of the richest and important people of Mumbai, with slum pockets and marginalised areas of Kamathipura, the upscale Malabar Hill Assembly segment has a perfect mix of population.

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Considering its diversity, this area has no dearth of problems and issues, ranging from lack of parking spaces, to toilet facilities with connections to drainage lines in its slums. Indrani Malkani, a resident of Malabar Hill, who has worked with the election commission for the past 12 elections, said, “It is a multifaceted constituency, where you have the upper class, middle class and marginalised. An MLA has to look at the entire picture.”

The constituency covers Varsha, the home of the chief minister of Maharashtra; one of India’s richest businessmen, Mukesh Ambani, along with Gujarati and Marwadi business families, top government bureaucrats and state ministers. It is the turf of the BJP, which has elected Mangal Prabhat Lodha as the MLA for five consecutive terms since 1995. For the upcoming elections, Lodha is again contesting on a BJP ticket. He is among the richest candidates in the fray, with his net worth pegged at ₹440 crore. Malabar Hill is also a segment that contributed heavily to the victory of Sena’s Arvind Sawant in the Lok Sabha elections.

The five-time sitting MLA is being challenged by a little-known Congress candidate, Heera Dewasi, 43. Dewasi rose up the ranks of the Congress from the time he joined it as a youth party worker in 2001. This is the first time he will contest an election. Heera Dewasi said, “In Maharashtra, what is called as the Dhangar Samaj, is the Dewasi samaj in Rajasthan. There are two pockets in Malabar Hill around Walkeshwar where people from this community are settled.”

Dewasi is a resident of Tardeo, and believes his appeal lies in his connect with the middle and upper middle class.

The area consists of five civic constituencies, four of which are held by BJP corporators, and one by a Shiv Sena corporator.

Malkani said, “Any elected representative will be associated with any urban work. To rank an MLA with civic issues is not exactly appropriate, because those decisions are taken on civic level. But an MLA has funds that he or she can utilize for upgrading public amenities. When voters elect an MLA, they expect the overall quality of life in their constituency will get better.” Shashank Dhagralkar, from the citizens’ group Amhi Girgaumkar, said, “This area is traditionally supported the Shiv Sena.”

The main problem here is lack of parking space. In July, residents of the area approached the high court challenging the BMC’s decision to levy heavy fines up to ₹10,000 for unauthorised on-street parking. The other problem is maintaining and retaining public open spaces. Susie Shah of the Malabar Hill Citizens’ Forum (MHCF), who was at the forefront of the Priyadarshani Park battle with the BMC, said, “We have a lot of issues in the area, including lack of parking space, ensuring public open spaces are encroachment free, bad roads, and better footpaths.” The citizens have complained of another problem – encroachment on open spaces on Napean Sea road, next to Priyadarshini Park. The MSRDC wrote to the chief minister for permission to construct a commercial building on a 67,000-sqft land parcel near the park.

Mukul Mehra, a resident of Malabar Hill, and honorary secretary of Napean sea road citizens’ forum, said, “On Monday morning, we learnt the MSRDC wants to breach a high court order from 12 years ago that says the plot is in CRZ area and cannot be developed. They are interested in money, than in open spaces.”

Lodha said, “I have always addressed my voters’ concerns, and I will continue to do so.”