This Article is From Apr 23, 2014

Battle for Mumbai: Big names, big stakes

One of the most high profile contests is the battle for the South Mumbai seat, where incumbent Congress MP Milind Deora is being challenged by banker-turned politician Meera Sanyal from the Aam Aadmi Party.

Mumbai: Campaigning in Mumbai and for the nineteen seats in Maharashtra that goes to polls in the third and final phase of voting in the state has come to an end.

In Mumbai, around 75 lakh people will vote on April 24.

One of the most high profile contests is the battle for the South Mumbai seat. Incumbent Congress MP Milind Deora is being challenged by banker-turned politician Meera Sanyal from the Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Swant of the Shiv Sena and Bala Nandgaonkar of the MNS.

37-year-old Deora, who is hoping to be elected from the area for the third time, spent the day campaigning. Speaking to NDTV from atop his campaign vehicle he says, "I don't think there is anti-incumbency at the local level but I have taken on even the party whenever the need has risen." Confident of his victory, Mr Deora adds that his constituency will reject the politics of violence and intimidation of the Senas.

What Milind Deora hopes for, is a repeat of 2009 when the MNS cut into the Shiv Sena vote bank helping him to sail through.

But AAP's Meera Sanyal says, "See the peoples' love and the way Aam Aadmi Party is being welcomed and then you estimate. When you ask people who will they vote for...they say some other party's name. When asked why...they say that they give us money."

Traffic congestion, old dilapidated buildings are major issues in this election. A voter tells NDTV, "Whether it's Milind Deora or someone else, they will take time to improve things."

In the suburbs, the Mumbai North East sitting NCP MP Sanjay Patil has been accused of being missing. The Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) has ranked him as the worst performing MP in Maharashtra. He says, "My entire team has always been there when people needed help...And wherever needed I was also there to help the people."

The fight, observers say, is between AAP candidate and social activist Medha Patkar, who has worked for the huge slum population and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya who lost by 3000 votes in 2009. Ms Patkar says, "Narendra Modi has never seen the housing conditions in the Bombay slums. Has he ever visited any slum?"

But a confident Kirit Somaiya says, "Last time the division of votes had benefitted the NCP. If MNS, BJP and Shiv Sena come together then this constituency gives 70 per cent votes to Kirit Somaiya. And this time that is going to happen."

A voter from the Vikhroli suburb says, "The election issues here are water and slums. But whoever comes to power only...can do something. Nobody is going to listen to Medha Patkar as she is not going to get power."

Sitting Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam has been campaigning non-stop in the Mumbai North constituency. In 2009, pitted against veteran BJP leader Ram Naik, Mr Nirupam won by a slender margin of 5000 votes. He is known to be accessible, but ADR has rated him as below average. Of the 48 MPs in Maharashtra, he ranked 34.

"I don't know what this ADR is. It's nonsense. My attendance is 89 per cent which is more than national average of the Parliament...As far as my working in the constituency is concerned, it is par excellence."

But BJP's Gopal Shetty seems much more relaxed. His focus is on the large Gujarati community as a votebank and on transportation and infrastructure.

The UPA had swept all six seats in Mumbai in 2009. An embarrassment, the NDA hopes will be forgotten after these elections.

Meanwhile, another thing that is going to be keenly watched is voter turnout. Mumbai which has displayed voter apathy in previous elections will hopefully fare better this time. 
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