THE MANKHURD Shivaji Nagar constituency in Mumbai is emerging as one of the most closely watched and fiercely contested seats of the Maharashtra Assembly elections. In the constituency with over 50% of the population Muslim, a high-stakes battle is expected between two prominent leaders of the community — Samajwadi Party (SP) state chief and sitting MLA Abu Asim Azmi and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s Nawab Malik — with a third candidate throwing all equations up in the air.
That is the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena’s Suresh Patil, the second candidate of a Mahayuti party in the seat. The BJP, which earlier declared it would not support Malik, has backed Patil.
Given the presence of a third Muslim candidate, the AIMIM’s Ateeque Ahmad Khan, Mehboob Chaudhary, a 42-year-old businessman from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, says: “This time, there is a fear that the Muslim votes will split, and the Shiv Sena will end up winning the seat.”
Many are predicting a tight contest, with winning margins as low as 2,000 to 3,000 votes.
Vote shares in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.
Azmi has won Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar in three consecutive polls since 2009, defeating the then undivided Shiv Sena’s Vithal Lokare in 2019 by over 25,000 votes.
This time, apart from the presence of three candidates from the community, there is the added factor of a long-running rivalry between Malik and Azmi, who both began their political careers with the SP. In 1996, Malik had won his first election from Mumbai’s Nehru Nagar as an SP leader, under Azmi’s leadership in the state. The initial camaraderie gave way to ego clashes after Azmi failed to make his own political debut and Malik went on to become a minister. In October 2001, Azmi expelled Malik from the SP, and Malik aligned himself with the then united NCP.
Voters talk of rising crime, drug menace, pollution from a biomedical waste plant, and limited development of educational and medical institutions as their major concerns in the constituency. The anti-incumbency against Azmi over these issues could also be a factor in the contest.
“The prevalent issues will go against Azmi. He has not done anything to help the people here. Instead, drug use among the youth has increased, and the situation has become frightening,” says Imran Siddique, a daily wager.
Mehboob Chaudhary adds: “An MLA’s role is to ensure that all government provisions reach the people, but our MLA was never here. I have two children, and only I know the struggle to keep them away from drugs. Narcotic substances are easily available here, and our MLA has done nothing to stop them.”
That the drug issue is a serious concern is reflected in the manifestos of all the three major candidates, Malik, Patil and Khan, who promise to address the menace.
Patil and Azmi have faced off earlier against each other, in 2014, with Azmi winning by just under 10,000 votes. Malik is a two-time MLA from Mumbai’s Anushakti Nagar seat. This time, Malik’s daughter Sana is contesting from there, with Malik claiming he chose Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar instead due to popular demand.
Mustakeem Ahmed, a local, says: “We wanted Malik to contest from here to provide competition to Azmi and bring a change to the system. But voting for him would essentially mean supporting the BJP and helping them form a government, which most people here don’t want. So, we are unsure how many votes he will get.”
Some older voters in the constituency say Azmi’s vote bank is still very much with him. Danish Shaikh, a 52-year-old electrician, recalls that the area is in far better condition today than it was in the early 2000s. “I have been here since 1980, and I’ve seen the changes Azmi has brought to the constituency after becoming an MLA. In the early 2000s, I remember walking over a kilometre to the Govandi railway station to fetch water and carrying containers on our heads. But today, everyone has taps in their homes,” he says.
Javed Khan, who works as a caterer in the area, adds: “The drug menace is far less today, and if there are any issues, I would hold the police responsible for not curbing it. Azmi bhai has always been with his people. Whenever anyone calls him, he is ready to help. He visits Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar at least five times a week to understand the problems.”
For some voters, the AIMIM candidate’s local connect will be the deciding factor. “Agar humara MLA wohi galli se jaega jisse hum guzarate hain, tabhi toh vo humari museebaton ko samjhega (If our MLA walks through the same streets we go through, only then will he understand our troubles),” says Shaikh Faiyaz Alam. “Khan has fought for the issues of the people, and I believe that he understands them better than others.”
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