Looking for a plumb finish

Two plumbers will slug it out for Kurla’s Ward 150 (Tunga Village-Chandivli) on election day. Residents will have the choice between NCP candidate Sharad Pawar - named after NCP leader Sharad Pawar - and Shiv Sena candidate Rajesh Chindrakar.

Both men have faced each other in the 2002 civic elections and are more popular than two other candidates fielded by the Congress and the MNS. Congress candidate Prabhakar Javkar and MNS candidate Ashok Matekar are the other contestants. But the election may come down to the two plumbers who are making the most of their popularity. On a tour of the Manubhai Chawl on Tuesday, Pawar urged water-deprived residents to vote for him. “I am a plumber by profession,” he said, as he shook hands with 60-year-old resident, Khairunissa Hussain, who complained of water scarcity. “I have worked with officials of BMC’s water department. Give me a chance. I will provide the connections for free.”

Pawar said that the area’s water crisis is largely due to disproportionate water distribution. “Some areas receive water 24x7, while others hardly get any,” he said.

Sena candidate Chindrakar has decided to appeal to middle-class residents living in the neighbourhood. However, he has refused to use his plumber status for campaigning. The poll race may be close this year after incumbent Bhushan Samant, son of union leader Datta Samant, decided not to contest the elections. During the last elections, Chindrakar came second to Samant with 2,900 votes. Pawar, who was an Independent, came third with 2,100 votes. Ward 150 has 31,500 voters and most belong to the Marathi middle-class. Water, sanitation and non-development of public reservations are the major issues here.