Maharashtra polls: Cong, VBA, Sena fight for Dharavi
The election battle gets fiercer in Dharavi, one of India’s largest slums. While the Congress has fielded sitting MLA Varsha, daughter of city Congress chief Eknath Gaikwad, the Shiv Sena has given ticket to Ashish More, and AIMIM to Dalit leader Manoj Sansare.
The Dharavi Assembly segment includes areas like Dharavi village, 90 feet road, Kumbharwada, Khambadevi Nagar, Mukund Nagar and Kala Killa. In the constituency in central Mumbai, the main issue is once again the much talked-about and long-awaited ₹26,000-crore Dharavi redevelopment project.
Gaikwad, a former state minister, is seeking her fourth term from this constituency, which was earlier represented by her father. Sansare provides a formidable challenge as he is a locally known Dalit leader and has the potential to cut into Varsha’s vote bank. In addition, despite the break in ties, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) has extended support to Sansare. For Varsha, any swing of Muslim votes towards Sansare can be potentially damaging and can benefit the Sena-BJP combine.
Gaikwad, who got Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to rally for her in the constituency, is confident of a win.
“Ask anyone in Dharavi and they will tell you that Varshatai (elder sister) is always there for them. There will be contestants, but then my work will win,” said Gaikwad.
She blames the delay in the Dharavi revamp on the BJP-Sena. “When we (Congress) were in power, they derailed the project demanding bigger houses. When the BJP-Sena is in power, they have not done anything in the past five years, apart from grand announcements. The chief minister is not interested in the project,” she said.
Both the opponents have termed Gaikwad a failure. “She was a minister in the previous Congress government and still could not start the project in her own constituency,” alleged More.
Sansare has blamed both his opponents for the fiasco. “They don’t want the project, as they want people to languish in slums. For them, voters are just vote banks. First, it was the Congress and now the BJP-Sena. They are just giving false promises,” said Sansare.
The voters, meanwhile, continue to suffer.
“My son is not getting married as girls are reluctant to stay in slums,” said 67-year Yasir Ali, who lives slum opposite 90 feet road. Raju Korde, who heads the Dharavi Redevelopment Committee, said people are fed up. “There is an air of despondency as the ruling parties don’t take up the project. Residents have no faith in these politicians anymore,” said Korde.
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