Dr Akalpita Paranjpe, a Chembur resident and candidate from the Bharat Uday Mission, a recently registered political party, says: “We have swallowed the sea and we’re talking about clogging the river.” A former scientific officer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Paranjpe took voluntary retirement in 2007 to set up Bharat Uday Mission, along with her husband Shreeniwas Paranjpe who retired from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. Vast salt pan lands in this constituency have disappeared, she says.

“I think our national issues, including the one of pollution, need to be thought about in a scientific manner to find solutions. And for that we need the right people at the top,” says Paranjpe.

Mumbai
South Central
* 17 lakh voters
* Nature of constituency: Large tracts of slums, but significant middle class voters
* Who’s contesting: Eknath Gaikwad (Congress), Suresh Gambhir (Shiv Sena), Pravin Barve (BSP), Shweta Parulekar (MNS)
* Political history: From Ahilyabai Rangnekar (CPM) to Madhu Dandavate (Janata Party) and later veteran Parliamentarian Sharad Dighe, the erstwhile Mumbai North Central constituency has seen a variety of political leaders
* Impact of delimitation: In addition to Dharavi and Mahim, Chembur and Anushakti Nagar segments have been added to this seat, bringing in a few thousand more slum votes and also a large number of middle class voters
* Watch out for: Eknath Gaikwad has earned a reputation of being easily accessible, but middle class voters have a grouse that he mainly focused on the slums