Voters show their fingers marked with indelible ink after casting votes for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections (File Photo: PTI)
In 2014, Maharashtra’s then-ruling party inaugurated Mumbai’s first metro line in a hurry after a former MP from the opposition party threatened to launch it in a personal capacity if the government delayed it. A decade later, as the city goes to polls on Monday, Mumbai’s infrastructure continues to hold political heft.
Addressing a rally at the iconic Shivaji Park here on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “Today the world’s most modern infrastructure is coming to Mumbai”. He added: “Modi is now giving Mumbai its due.”
Nikam and Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry — who had earlier helmed the railway ministry—among others, have been campaigning to appease an eclectic mix of voters residing in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and adjoining areas, where the majority will vote on Monday. Earlier, Modi visited the city in January to inaugurate the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, perhaps the city’s most awaited project, languishing since the 1970s. In March, state government heads, Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, inaugurated a half-completed Mumbai Coastal Road.
Voters may have taken notice. A 50-year-old taxi driver, who was present at Modi’s rally on Friday said, “Once I start frequently using the coastal road, I can ferry more passengers in my taxi, since the time required to reach the end of both the points of the roads will be minimal.”
“This election, unlike the past, is being fought less on policies and more as a referendum for Modi. Infrastructure is an aspect the voter will consider; however, it will be overshadowed by other considerations such as the Shiv Sena party split and minority concerns,” observed Abhay Deshpande, a political analyst from the state
“Even where infrastructure will be considered, who deserves credit is the question. The major projects such as the coastal road were started during Uddhav Thackeray’s time and completed in a different regime,” Deshpande said.
When asked what Nikam was promising, the Santacruz-based taxi driver said: “He is promising Kamal (lotus, which is BJP’s election symbol).”
A senior executive from one of the city-headquartered conglomerates, who will also vote on Monday, expressed faith in voters’ intelligence in giving credit for new projects. “Voters are conscious that infrastructure is a long-drawn process, and votes should be cast keeping in mind who will deliver in the long run,” the executive said.
Vishal Kamath, CII-Maharashtra chairman, listed a clear vision for the next 25 years for reinforcement and growth of Mumbai as the financial sector hub rather than unorganised expansion, as one of the asks from business and industry for MMR on the eve of polling.
Not everyone is impressed, particularly those travelling by the city’s century-old railway network. “Local trains and platforms are overcrowded, with people dangerously dangling near the doors. It is something that could have been sorted out by now,” said a 25-year-old marketing professional.
Mumbai’s suburban railway network is under Indian Railways and hence a Central Government concern. Raj Thackeray, chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) who has promised support to the BJP coalition in the state, also demanded more grants and time from the Centre to improve this rail service.
Among the people who will vote on Monday also include Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani.
The MP who threatened to inaugurate Mumbai Metro Line-1 in 2014 is not in the fray in 2024. However, infrastructure and transport will continue to rule the roost, as Mumbai goes to polls on Monday.
“Roads, water and electricity will always be on every Mumbaikar’s mind,” said the senior executive.
(Names of the Mumbai citizens quoted in the story have been withheld to protect voter identity)
First Published: May 19 2024 | 10:23 PM IST