We want to end Shiv Sena, BJP's monopoly: Sachin Ahir

Ahead of the BMC elections, NCP Mumbai Unit president Sachin Ahir speaks to DNA about the party's prospects in the upcoming civic election, its past performance in polls, and current election plans like providing clean water supply to Mumbaikars. Here are excerpts from the interview:

What do you think are the NCP's prospects in the BMC elections?

The Shiv Sena-BJP combine has been ruling the BMC for the last 20 years. Their misrule has led to Mumbai's crumbling infrastructure. We appeal to the people to give the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) a chance to serve them. We will transform the city by allocating more funds for infrastructure development. In our manifesto, we promised that once the NCP comes to power, we will appoint road contractors through the global tender process and break the existing syndicate of contractors and ruling Shiv Sena-BJP leaders. The same set of contractors are getting road construction and repair contracts every year. We want to end their monopoly.

What will you do for the common man if you come to power?

We will work for the common man. We have decided to provide 700 litres of clean water to all households free of cost. Currently, we are losing 35 per cent of water due to water leakage and theft. Once we fix these isuues, we will be able to fulfill the promises we have made in our manifesto. In most parts of the city, we get water after two and three days, which has led to the rise in water mafia in various parts of the city. We will also propose more water projects to augment the city's water supply. We will make the health helpline a round-the-clock feature. We have worked hard to prepare this manifesto after considering the views and suggestions of experts from various fields. We want to fulfill the promises we have made in our manifesto.

Who is your main opponent in the upcoming election?

Both the Shiv Sena and BJP have headed the BMC, so they are our main target. The Sena cannot continue to rule the Marathi manoos. They are responsible for throwing the Marathi manoos out of Mumbai to far- flung suburbs. In 1960, about 60 per cent of the Marathi population would stay in Mumbai. This number has reduced by 28-30 per cent.

Who can we blame for this? The Shiv Sena and BJP as they have been ruling the city. Besides, we are also telling people that the Congress failed to put an to end corruption in the BMC. Not a single Congress chief minister dared to initiate an inquiry against corrupt BMC officials and Sena-BJP leaders. The Congress is also equally responsible for this mess. We are quite confident that people will vote for the NCP. We have fielded well qualified and experienced candidates, who will change the face of their respective wards and the city subsequently.

In the past, your party hasn't won more than 15 seats of the 227 in the BMC. why?

It is true that we could not increase our vote share over the years. The reason is that we had an alliance with the Congres, so there were times we could not even field candidates. Most of the MPs and the MLAs were from the Congress itself. Now, the ground reality is changing. People are accepting us. We are focusing on door-to-door meetings and social media campaigns. We have a clean slate in Mumbai so people prefer us. You will see a lot of miracles on the result day.