Mahayuti Or MVA: Who Will Get The Slum-Shine Moment In Dharavi? Maharashtra Polls – News18

Last Updated:November 17, 2024, 19:52 IST

News18 navigated the lanes crying for better infrastructural facilities to gauge the pulse. At the core of the political tug-of-war is the Dharavi revamp

It’s a maze, yet there is an order in the oldest and largest slum in Asia. Dharavi is no stranger to those who know Mumbai – a topic of many movies, tales and now deep politics in the battle for the Maharashtra polls.

At the core of the political tug-of-war is the redevelopment project. Many Dharavi residents worry that this project will snatch their homes.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has propped up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) slogan of ‘batenge toh katenge’ as the latter’s attempt to polarise. The MVA is showcasing Dharavi as the battleground which the BJP will use to implement their “mission to eliminate the minorities”.

For example, with less than 48 hours left to go for campaigning to end in the state, the Congress released the ‘Mumbai Nama’ brochure. Under the header of “transforming slums”, the Congress promises the creation of an export-oriented production zone and that the redevelopment will have to respect the wishes of the residents.

News18 navigated the small packed lanes crying for better infrastructural facilities to get the pulse of the residents. Dharavi, like the rest of Mumbai, is a melting pot of cultures. While the population primarily includes minorities, there are several Tamil- and Telugu-speaking people who have settled here. Alongside biryani shops are south Indian coffee and dosas being prepared and sold briskly. Says Anna, “We want development. I have been staying here for 23 years and seen so many politicians come and go. All made empty promises. Why should Dharavi be used as an akhada for fights? Why not change our lives?”

A little away, Noorani is preparing parathas for Sunday breakfast, he objects when few say that the project will snatch their homes. “What home? We have a toilet used by 20 people. Nobody bothers about the garbage. Maybe if things change here, we will be safer and our lives will be healthier. Our children deserve more.”

Dharavi is one of the 10 constituencies of Mumbai. It has traditionally been a Congress bastion, but now the Mahayuti seeks to change things. The Congress has won this seat four times and Jyoti Gaikwad has been pitched from here. The Mahayuti has put up Rajesh Khandare.

Vikas or development is the pitch for elections in the state. Dharavi will be put to the test on this plank.