BJP MP Kapil Patil sure of victory in Bhiwandi

Bhiwandi became a Lok Sabha constituency in the year 2009, and the seat was won by the Congress. In 2014, the seat was won by BJP MP, Kapil Patil. But this year, the power loom hub is not letting out its inclinations even as issues of heaps of garbage, bad roads and hours-long traffic plague the constituency.

Bhiwandi-based businessman, Samdani Mukadam said, "The textile industry is one of the biggest industries in Bhiwandi. But it has lost value in the last few years and yet our MP does speak on the issue. Concrete steps are required. Bhiwandi is known for power looms but nothing major has been done for it. Bad roads are a major concern; we hope this is also resolved soon."

A businessman closely working with the power loom sector, Haresh Shah, said that there are close to five lakh power looms in Bhiwandi alone while half of the population that works in power looms is migrant; the rest stay in nearby areas. "Commuting is a major issue, connectivity to Bhiwandi by road and rail needs to be looked into urgently. There's not much done for infrastructure building in this area, which is needed," Shah said.

Another major issue concerning the constituency is the bridge coming up on the Kalyan-Bhiwandi bypass, which has been under construction for a few years now. Sambhaji Deshmukh, a local of Padgha area, said, "I travel by scooter every day to and from Padgha. There's a persistent jam on the Nashik highway; the bypass flyover needs to be completed at the earliest. Twice I have escaped a mishap."

But MP, Kapil Patil's spirits are high for the next elections. "We have worked a lot in this area. No one else has ever spent the amount of MPlad fund that I have spent in this area. The people know about my work and immaterial of what happens, only a BJP candidate will win from this seat."

On a specific question about the Bhiwandi-Kalyan Bypass bridge, he said, "The bridge on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan bypass may be on a national highway but a state government authority is constructing it. Also, let me tell you, our Chief Minister, since he came in power, has personally taken interest in the matter and the work has caught speed. I have already created an account of the work done and I am sure once you read the same, questions on what work I have done would be answered."

But Patil's claims of the work done have barely impressed the opposition, which claims that they will win the upcoming 17th Lok Sabha elections this year. Suresh Taware, former Member of Parliament of Congress, from Bhiwandi constituency, said, "Kapil Patil only keeps talking. He says that he has got crores for the constituency, but the money he's showing is the money every district and constituency gets under a different head. Traffic is a major problem, people get stuck in road traffic for hours at a go. The Durgadi bridge work has begun alas at a slow pace.

INSIDERS SAY POWER LOOM LOSING VALUE

Even as the textile is one of the biggest industries in the region, nothing major has been done to encourage it

CONSTITUENCY PROFILE AND DEMOGRAPHICS

Bhiwandi comprises of six assembly segments including Bhiwandi (rural), Shahpur, Bhiwandi (west), Bhiwandi (east), Kalyan (west) and Murbad. Of the six seats, two are represented by Shiv Sena, one by NCP and the remaining three are with BJP.  Although the seat has been represented by the Congress before, it doesn’t have a single MLA from here. The seat is a mix of urban and rural segments. Two to three assembly seats in the constituency are dominated by the Muslims community, Kalyan west has a mix of all religions.

Kapil Patil, MP, BJP

POLITICAL EQUATIONS

In 2014

When former NCP member, Kapil Patil switched to the BJP and was given the seat, many including those in the BJP weren’t expecting a win. But Patil rode the Modi wave high. He continues to be well-known especially in the rural segment.

In 2019

It is not yet clear if the BJP will field Patil although he does sound confident and has already published his account of work he did. On the other hand, Suresh Taware, former MP and Congress strongman claims that he is contesting the elections and he, too, seems confident of a win.

PERFORMANCE OF MPS

• 53 Debate 
• 459 Questions
• 0 Private Members’ Bills
• 91% Attendance

UTILISATION OF MPLAD FUNDS

• Rs 25 cr Entitlement to constituency
• Rs 17.50 cr Fund released by GOI
• Rs 14.79 cr Expenditure
• Utilisation percentage over amount released 84.51%
• Unspent balance 5.10%

THUS SPOKE JANATA

There is such mismanagement of traffic due to construction. But most of these works are not up to the mark. For example, the bridge connecting Kalyan and Bhiwandi is just a two-lane bridge.
— Sarver Hulleck, Bhiwandi

There is a need for proper planning for the textile industry. Other major issues are bad roads and traffic jams. The locals have been expecting and it is difficult to say whether the same have been fulfilled.
— Kalyani BJ, Kalyan

The major issues are traffic jams, unauthorised autos plying on the streets, encroachments. There is no check on unauthorised vehicles plying on the roads causing a lot of trouble.
— Samdani Mukadam, Bhiwandi

Roads especially those connecting two points need repairs. There are huge potholes and people like me mostly try to avoid such roads, but we can only avoid so much and end up suffering.
— Atif Shaikh, Kalyan