Driver changes direction, joins politics at risk of losing job

Forty-two-year-old Bhausaheb Varthe, an electoral candidate from ward number 146 in Chembur, has taken a leap of faith by deciding to contest the elections. Varthe works as a driver on a contractual basis for the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, on behalf of a private transport company. He says he has decided to contest the BMC polls to bring about significant change in the area, at the risk of having to forgo a steady job.

Varthe’s decision to contest was not a sudden one. A resident of Ashok Nagar in Chembur, he lives in a slum settlement where residents have to fight for their basic rights every day. Over the last 15 years, he has spent 60 per cent of his monthly income in addressing the issues of the nearby localities. “This ward is the most neglected one in the city. There is no water and people have to pay Rs 2 for a small bucket of water. The toilets are filthy and women prefer going out in the open over the dirty toilets. All the parties have failed to address these major issues and hence people from the locality insisted that I should now contest the polls,” Varthe said.

“My bosses told me that they cannot afford to have an employee get directly involved in political activities. They also said that I was taking too many leaves for campaigning and that it would lead to the termination of my service,” he added.

With the whistle as his symbol, Varthe is campaigning day and night with local supporters, who are mostly from poor and socially-backward families. “There is a local pani puri vendor who is campaigning for me. Someone else said he would print the posters. One doesn’t require only money to contest elections,” he added.

His wife Kavita works as a cook and has taken 10 days off from work to campaign for her husband. She said, “We know that the chances of him losing his job are high. But all that is not relevant to us right now. We are confident about winning. I am there to financially support the family.”