This Jogeshwari man is seeking funds to seek votes

In the last few weeks, the quaint locality of Sarvoday Nagar in Jogeshwari east has become a mini war room as preparations are in full swing for the upcoming civic body elections in the city. Every evening, college students and youngsters come together to campaign for Mayur More, 34, who they see as their potential leader.

Without any political backing and financial support, More has decided to contest as an independent candidate from ward number 77 (Meghwadi), dominated by the Sena in the last two decades. More than a hundred youngsters from the ward are campaigning for More and have crowdfunded his entire electoral campaign.

It all started around two years ago when More, working for the Congress party, realised that the locals have several issues which no party or candidate had been able to address.

"A nearby school had several mobile towers installed, which were affecting students and parents. While parents often complained, no one took up the issue with authorities. Along with a group of friends, I decided to address the issue and wrote to various authorities citing guidelines against having towers in the periphery of educational institutes. The officials were initially apathetic but with constant follow ups, took action and had the towers removed," adds More.

The group then decided to have a formal body through which they could take up local issues. As a result, the Yuva Parivartan Charitable Trust was born in 2016.

Through the organisation, More and his team took up several initiatives — from Aadhaar card camps to creating awareness about education. But contesting elections wasn't as easy.

"Political parties spend huge sums of money during campaigning and also have the support base to take care of back-end activities. We could never have afforded these expenses," he says. After a few days of contemplation, More finally decided to take the risk. "Youngsters from the ward said that they would take care of all the expenses — from making banners to raising the deposit amount of Rs 5,000 while filling nomination, all funds came from small contributions made by people in the locality," he adds.

More worked as a ground staff in Cambata Aviation but lost his job two years ago when the company shut down. He worked at a private company but gave up the job to concentrate on the elections.

With the iconic cricket bat as their electoral symbol, More and his team venture out after 7 pm for door-to-door campaigning.

"Close to three hundred people mostly comprising students and working professionals accompany us. Most can take out time only in the evening for chowk sabhas and meetings. But we try and make the most of this time. The idea is to bring young people out of their comfort zone to get into the mainstream political process," says Yatin Surve, a 27-year-old freelance writer campaigning for More. The group has also received the support of the local Vaidu community that has close to 2,500 voters.

"The Vaidu community and their issues have always been neglected by the local politicians. Illiteracy and lack of awareness about one's health are common issues but no political party has been able to tackle these issues yet. Mayur and his team have always supported our cause. Whether they win or not, these elections will help them gain popular support which will help in addressing local issues," says Durga Gudilu, an education activist from the Vaidu community.

Ward 77 is currently dominated by Shiv Sena with Bala Nar, the sitting corporator being in the fray this time. Despite this, More is confident. "Even the local garage mechanic is supporting me. That is all we need," he says.