Milind Deora sweats it out to retain Mumbai South

Congress sitting MP Milind Deora faces a tough challenge to retain Mumbai South, home to some of India's rich and famous, as the Lok Sabha constituency has undergone significant changes post-delimitation and there are several contenders in the fray.

Milind, who became the youngest member to enter Lok Sabha at the age of 27 in 2004, is locked in a multi-cornered contest with Shiv Sena veteran Mohan Rawale, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Bala Nandgaonkar, ABN-Amro Bank
country head Meera Sanyal and BSP's Mohammad Ali.

Besides these, there is a Samajwadi party candidate contesting as an Independent. Polling is on April 30. Political observers say presence of a large number of candidates and the changed demographics of the constituency, which was the theatre of the 26/11 attacks, have kept Milind and Rawale on the tenterhooks.

Both Milind and Rawale have focussed on padyatras, door-to-door campaigning and public meetings with the hope that MNS, SP and BSP don't make a dent in their vote share. Mumbai South, the commercial hub of the metropolis, has been on terror radar for a long time.

Two of its most prestigious landmarks, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and Air India building, were rocked by bomb blasts in March 1993. In August 2003, a powerful bomb exploded in a taxi near historic Gateway of India. 

Terror revisited the upscale locality on November 26, 2008 when luxury hotels Taj and Obroi and Nariman House reverberated with gun shots ad grenade blasts. Milind says the recent terror attacks have made people of Mumbai South politically aware. "They have to utilise their vote carefully."

Milind is the younger son of Union Petroleum minister Murli Deora, who has represented the constituency four times. Rawale is confident that voters will back him because he had raised security-related issues in parliament during the debate on 26/11 and highlighted the UPA Government's failures.

Real estate prices in the high profile constituency are among the highest in the world. Mumbai South, with a voter population of 19,33,904, boasts of residents like Ratan Tata, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Ambani brothers and Mahindras.

It is also home to legendary sportsmen like Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri and singing legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosale. The area is a mix of upper middle class in Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Napean Sea Road, Pedder Road; tenants of old and dilapidated buildings, mill workers struggling to get dues from owners and slum-dwellers outside Mahalaxmi Race Course. 

Maharashtrians comprise about 43.6 per cent of the total voters followed by Gujarathis (15.3%), Rajasthanis (12.6%), Muslims (12.2%), North Indians (6%), South Indians
(3.8%), Parsis and Christians (combined 3.2%). 

Mumbai South consists of Assembly segments of Colaba, Mumbadevi, Malabar Hill, Worli, Byculla and Sewree. Post delimitation, parts of the South Central Lok Sabha seat have been merged with Mumbai South. The new additions include Byculla, Sewree and Worli. Rawale is the sitting MP from the old Mumbai South Central seat.

Milind says he has got a good response to his campaign from Sena strongholds like Sewree, Worli and Parel. "I speak Marathi well and have spoken about how Sena had betrayed them all these years."

The new areas added to the constituency have issues of tenants, mill workers, sanitation workers besides re-development of `chawls' (a type of residential building) and problems related to old and dilapidated buildings, the young politician says.

Both Rawale and Milind are confident of holding on to their respective vote banks and also making a dent in each other's vote share.