This story is from September 22, 2019

Mumbai’s hinterland now a political melting pot

Mangesh Jadhav recalls the breathtaking 360-degree view of the entire Thane city from his cousin’s apartment in the then 14-storey Gautam Sindhu complex at Hari Niwas Circle some 25 years ago.
Mumbai’s hinterland now a political melting pot
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) now extends far beyond Mumbai to cover nine municipal corporations and several municipal councils.
Mangesh Jadhav recalls the breathtaking 360-degree view of the entire Thane city from his cousin’s apartment in the then 14-storey Gautam Sindhu complex at Hari Niwas Circle some 25 years ago. Today, the only view possible from the same flat is into the hall or the kitchen of apartments in the surrounding towers. These have not only transformed the city skyline, but ushered in a diverse demography and multiculturalism in the form of migrants.
The old, predominantly Marathi-speaking boroughs now also host grand celebrations of Durga Puja and record impressive gatherings for Onam, Lohri and Chhat Puja. Social commentators say the scale and speed of migration to Thane have had a significant impact on the political narrative.
The story is similar across the large urban centres of Thane and Raigad district, and the change has been drastic with rapid urbanisation and population growth. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) now extends far beyond Mumbai to cover nine municipal corporations and several municipal councils. Lok Sabha constituencies in the area have 66 assembly segments, of which 60 are under MMRDA authority. Mumbai has 36 assembly seats.
preparing to poll vault

The social changes this massive urban, largely migrant population has wrought has brought a collective focus on development — better infrastructure, civic amenities, town planning, law and order. “Locals earlier were simply enamoured of or too afraid to confront the political establishment. Today, the voters are well-travelled and have higher expectations from the political and civic agencies and their voting choice is based on the development agenda,’’ said a former senior bureaucrat.
Surendra Dighe, academician and long-time Thane resident, agrees. “The new community and class structure in Thane has led to a change in political rhetoric. Unlike in the past when voters’ preference was dictated by linguistic or communal considerations, the new multicultural, multi-religious and educated population here is looking for more in terms of civic infrastructure, living conditions, better air quality and not just communal or religious jingoism,” he said.

preparing to poll vault2

One of the key factors is the huge surge in population, which ensures that new voters are not ignored. Close to 60% of Thane district’s population lives within the seven municipal corporations of Thane, Navi Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Mira-Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Vasai-Virar; the urban population has grown from 81.3 lakh in 2001 to more than 1.3 crore today. The Vasai-Virar population jumped 221% between 2001 and 2011, says the latest census. In Navi Mumbai that spills into Raigad district, the population of Kharghar increased from 6,000 in 2001 to 73,000 in 2011, an eye-popping 1117% leap. The New Panvel region’s population rose by 113%, and the Panvel assembly constituency now has an electorate of 5.2 lakh voters.
This diverse population seems to have had one salutary impact: they have forced strongmen in areas such as Vasai-Virar and Ulhasnagar to change tack. “They now talk about development. Law and order and civic issues, besides aspects like housing, are crucial,” said professor Surendra Jondhale. Prashant Mulherkar, a Kalyan old-timer, too says the “lawlessness created by local socio-political mafiosi no longer exists the way it did due to a variety of reasons, but mainly because migrants associate with those dominating politics in their area.”
Changing demography has meant caste equations have altered and so have the parties dominating local politics. “Several pockets were dominated by Maharashtrian OBC communities. Now migrant voters play a decisive role. And for them, a national party like BJP is more attractive than a regional one like Shiv Sena,” said Jondhale. Thane used to be a small city with agri-kolis, CKPs and Marathispeaking Brahmin families; the call for action on polling day was dictated by emotional appeals based on caste, community or religion, said Dighe. With the coming of industries, focus shifted to workers’ issues. But since the population was small and people knew their representatives personally, traditional voting patterns enduredyouths followed their parents to vote for the same party. “But now, the discourse has changed,’’ added Dighe.
Long-time Navi Mumbai resident and advocate P C Patil said Congress used to dominate the area. Later it was Sena and NCP, largely because of Ganesh Naik. “But with the large number of migrants and the attraction Modi holds for voters, BJP has now gained currency,” he added.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA