Know your constituency

185 Malabar Hill
It is the city’s most high-profile constituency with both elite and middle class pockets,but famed for their political lethargy. The issues here range from repair or redevelopment of old buildings to abolishing of Octroi for the business community and water shortage. The other issues include civic infrastructure development,growth of employment and tenant-friendly redevelopment of chawls. Three-time BJP MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha is pitted against first-time Congress candidate Rajkumar Bafna and MNS’ Archit Jayakar to regain the coveted seat. The Jain and Marwari community votes are likely to be split between Lodha and Bafna while Jayakar could be stronger in the Maharashtrian-dominated Girgaum and Khetwadi areas that were added after the delimitation.
Back Story: Mangal Prabhat Lodha of the BJP has won the seat for three consecutive terms.
Watch Out For: The MNS factor could spoil it for Lodha,with MNS candidate Jayakar campaigning hard in Khetwadi and Girgaum.

184 Byculla
The last five years have seen a real estate boom in the locality,with several new projects taking off in Saat Rasta,Chinchpokli and Byculla. Comprising chawls and old residential buildings of Byculla,Mumbai Central,Reay Road and Nagpada,the constituency’s top priority remains redevelopment of old buildings and repairs. The main contest will be between Arun Gawli of the Akhil Bharatiya Sena and Madhu Chavan of the Congress,a former MLA whom Gawli trounced in 2004. The seat is headed for a closer finish this time,with Gawli’s jail-managed campaign yet to take off and several spoilers in the fray,including an MNS candidate and a Shiv Sena corporator.
Back Story: A new constituency after delimitation,comprising parts of the former Chinchpokli constituency represented by Gawli in 2004,Madhu Chavan of the Congress in 1999 and Faiyaz Ahmed of the Janata Dal in 1995.
Watch Out For: Don-turned-politician Arun Gawli’s bid to retain the seat,chalking out campaign strategies from his cell in Taloja Jail.

183 Shivadi
This is the area from where the Shiv Sena got its initial strength from. The new Shivadi seat has parts of erstwhile Parel and Mazgaon seat,which do not exist after the delimitation. It is seeing a change as the mills are being replaced by highrises and malls. Redevelopment of chawls and ownership is an important issue here. The Sena has fielded two-time MLA Dagdu Sakpal against MNS candidate Bala Nandgaonkar,and Sena MLA till the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress has,however,fielded Smita Choudhari,reportedly a weak candidate. Narayan Ghagre,contesting on CPI ticket,also has a following in the constituency.
Back Story: Sakpal has twice represented the constituency,a Sena stronghold.
Watch Out For: A close contest between two MLAs,one each from the either Sena. The constituency helped Nandgaonkar secure a good lead and push the Sena to the third position in the Lok Sabha elections.

182 Worli
Back Story: Delimitation has meant that this constituency includes parts of what was earlier the Sewree constituency,Lower Parel and DDA chawls in Worli,where NCP MLA Sachin Ahir enjoys considerable popularity. Issues of Chawl redevelopment and civic infrastructure are most important.
Back Story: A Shiv Sena seat won by Datta Nalawade consistently for the past four elections. However,he is not contesting this time.
Watch Out For: MLA Sachin Ahir wooing a more cosmopolitan voter than in his earlier constituency.

181 Mahim
Delimitation has brought in a good number of Dadar and Shivaji Park voters into this constituency. This includes the area where the Sena was born. Influential Maharashtrian writers and poets live in this area. While youngsters in Dadar an Shivaji Park are increasingly been drawn to MNS,the Sena recently witnessed much drama after they picked TV star Adesh Bandekar over MLA Sada Sarvankar who is now contesting on a Congress ticket.
Back Story: Suresh Gambhir of the Sena has won the seat for four consecutive terms.
Watch Out For: Adesh Bandekar taking on Sada Sarvankar who has rebelled against the Sena

180 Wadala
Dotted with large slums lacking even basic amenities like public toilets,Wadala is also home to a new middle class that has invested considerable sums of money in apartments in new colonies. While the slumdwellers are keen to raise issues of sanitation and water supply,roads,pollution and public transport are the worries of the middle class. A monorail project is set to serve several parts of the constituency,but is assailed by delays.
Watch Out For: Congress candidate MLA Kalidas Kolambkar (a Narayan Rane man) taking on Digamber Kandarkar,his former colleague in the Sena. Both were corporators from neighbouring wards.

179 Sion Koliwada
Including some areas of Matunga (East) and Sion,this constituency also has a large slum pocket. Sanitation,water,roads,sewer lines are the big questions here,alongside the repeated demand for better education facilities in the slum areas here. In the Matunga and Sion areas,a large South Indian and Gujarati population comprises a significant support base for MLA Jagannath Shetty,the Congress candidate. Others in the fray are Manisha Kayande (BJP) and Vinod Khopkar (MNS).
Watch Out For: With the BJP not really having a base in the area and the MNS set to bite off a chunk of their votes,this is expected to be a simple win for the Congress.

178 Dharavi
Over 70 per cent of the voters here are residents of the sprawling shanty town that’s been in the news all through the year,thanks to Slumdog Millionaire and the Rs 15,000-rore Dharai Redevelopment Project. While delimitation has brought parts of Mahim and Matunga into it,the key issue remains the now-stalled redevelopment project that many residents believe could oust them from their homes. The Sena has,in the past couple of years,cashed in on discontent against the project,offering slumdwellers larger free homes among other things. Other issues here pertain to sanitation and water supply. Dharavi’s large Dalit population also remains with the Congress since the Third Front candidate here is from the JD (U). The main contest is between Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad and Suresh Gambhir,Sena MLA from Mahim.
Back Story: Traditionally a Congress stronghold,last two MLAs were Varsha Gaikwad (2004) and Eknath Gaikwad (1999). However,the Sena had wrested the seat in 1995.
Watch Out for: Another constituency where two MLAs are contesting. The slum votes are almost certain to remain with the Congress,but the new areas of Mahim now added into the constituency could tilt the balance.

173 Chembur
With projects like country’s first monorail and Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) coming up in Chembur,it is slowly gaining the reputation of becoming a liveable suburb,a change from its old label as one of the city’s most polluted areas. The constituency also comprises large swathes of slum areas that are goldmines for realty developers. The area has problems like traffic congestion,small roads. Redevelopment of chawls in Tilak Nagar and slums is a major issue here. The area is known to be a Congress stronghold and it has fielded Chandrakant Handore against BJP’s Anil Thakur. In the fray are RPI’s Deepak Nikalje and MNS candidate Anil Chauhan.
Back Story: Won by the Congress in 2004,but by the BJP for the three preceding terms.
Watch Out For: The Congress trying to retain the seat despite a very strong campaign by the Third Front for Deepak Nikalje,also known as Chhota Rajan’s brother.

172 Anushakti Nagar
The NCP’s Nawab Malik got this seat in exchange for Kalina,which was handed over to Kripashankar Singh. Anushakti Nagar has been carved out from the Trombay constituency,and still includes large slum areas like Cheetah Camp. The city’s best scientists also reside here,in Anushkati Nagar. The Sena has fielded Tukaram Kate. In the fray are BSP’s Abdul Gani Sheikh and MNS candidate Navin Acharya.
Back Story: A new constituency
Watch Out For: Expected to be a simple win for Malik,who appeals to both the slum voters as well as the middle class residential colonies