With over 40 per cent of Pune’s population residing in slums, the candidates are wooing the slum-dwellers to draw maximum votes from this “big and assured votebank.”

Each of the eight assembly constituencies have slum pockets.

As per the estimates of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), about 90,000 people migrated to the city in 2006, of which 45,000 settled in slums. Every year, the number of people migrating to the city multiplies.

In Cantonment constituency, sitting MLA Ramesh Bagwe, who has been given an opportunity, is cashing in on his popularity in the Kasewadi slum where hutments were charred in 2005. About two years ago, former Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had come for laying the cornerstone for the slum rehabilitation programme at the same place. Since Bagwe has taken a keen interest in this, he has been hammering this point.

Last week, when the State Industries Minister Narayan Rane came to the city to campaign for Bagwe, Bagwe supporters thanked him for the Kasewadi slum rehabilitation project.

In Shivajinagar, slum areas include Patil Estate, Rajiv Gandhi slum and Janwadi. All the candidates are taking out foot marches to woo the slum-dwellers. On Tuesday, MNS candidate Ranjit Shirole took out a rally at Wadarwadi, Pandav Nagar, Patil Estate.

Shiv Sena candidate from Wadgaon Sheri, Ajay Bhosale said, “It is true that a major chunk of city population resides in the slums, which is why all the candidates first target slums to win their support,” Wadgaon Sheri constituency comprises a number of slum localities like Vishrantwadi, Shanti Nagar and Yerwada.

... contd.