Edit: Time to act

The declaration of dates for the elections to the BMC and other municipal corporations and districts councils in the state will at least end the frenzy of announcements by the state government desperate to woo the electorate, particularly in Mumbai, where the Congress-NCP alliance believes it has a good chance of winning.

Not that the Shiv Sena and the BJP will give in easily. The allies are fighting hard and have been strengthened with the Republican Party of India (Athavale) joining them. They have taken up the issue of corruption as made out by Anna Hazare against the Congress at the Centre. Whether a national issue will play a role in what is essentially a local election, or whether voters will prefer the sops dished out by the Congress-NCP, will be known in good time. But few will deny that the results will have a bearing on the 2014 state elections.

A strong performance by the Congress-NCP will strengthen CM Prithviraj Chavan’s hand. A defeat for the Sena-BJP in Mumbai will put Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray under tremendous pressure to reunite with estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, who broke away five years ago to set up the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. A victory, on the other hand, will consolidate Uddhav’s position and put Raj’s fledgling party under strain.

The elections are also a test for the city’s perennially complaining middle and upper classes. Traditionally, these classes have shunned the civic poll, seeing it as something that only concerns their help. Yet, they are the first to complain about potholed roads and water scarcity. It would be a travesty if those who groan about the city’s state again shirk their responsibility. The middle class must get out and vote. Democracy is strengthened only by the participation of all people, and no politician will then ignore the voice of the middle class.