There are about 35 to 40 lakh Gujaratis in Mumbai. Since the current population of the city is around 1.5 crore, this means that a little less than 25 per cent are Gujaratis. When the state of Maharashtra was carved out in 1960, with Mumbai as its capital, the percentage of the Gujaratis was 35 per cent.

However, the perception that the entire Gujarati community is ‘business-minded’ is a stereotype and like all stereotypes misleading. Equally misleading is the idea that the Gujaratis in Mumbai constitute a ‘Little Gujarat’ in the metropolis. Those who argue that Mumbai’s Gujaratis are partial to Modi, base their argument on this false premise. The fact is that the Gujarati community is not socially or economically homogenous, although it may appear so to those watching mass garba performances during the navaratras. The popular image of the community is essentially that of the middle-class Gujarati. But there are also Gujaratis who belong to the lower caste and work as safai kamgars (primarily Meghwals). Their number is not small. Then there are thousands of Gujarati workers and white-collar employees who work in a variety of trading establishments. There are the craftsmen working in the diamond industry. The Gujarati middle class, perceived as business-minded, constitute only about 50 per cent of the community.

When it comes to politics, the Gujarati community is also not as homogenous as is generally believed. For instance, it is not generally known that the Patel community, even in Mumbai, is disturbed by Modi’s authoritarian style. The Gujaratis in Mumbai who have come from Saurashtra, and elsewhere, tend to follow political developments back home. There is, at present, tremendous discontent over Modi’s politics among Mumbai’s Saurashtra Gujaratis.

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