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By:

Naresh Kamath

5 November 2024 at 5:30:38 am

Battle royale at Prabhadevi-Mahim belt

Amidst cut-throat competition, five seats up for grabs Mumbai: South Central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi-Mahim belt, an epicentre of Mumbai’s politics, promises a cut-throat competition as the two combines – Mahayuti and the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) combine – sweat it out in the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. It is the same ward where Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray used to address mammoth rallies at Shivaji Park and also the residence of MNS chief...

Battle royale at Prabhadevi-Mahim belt

Amidst cut-throat competition, five seats up for grabs Mumbai: South Central Mumbai’s Prabhadevi-Mahim belt, an epicentre of Mumbai’s politics, promises a cut-throat competition as the two combines – Mahayuti and the Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) combine – sweat it out in the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. It is the same ward where Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray used to address mammoth rallies at Shivaji Park and also the residence of MNS chief Raj Thackeray. This belt has five wards and boasts of famous landmarks like the Siddhivinayak temple, Mahim Dargah and Mahim Church, and Chaityabhoomi, along with the Sena Bhavan, the headquarters of Shiv Sena (UBT) combine. This belt is dominated by the Maharashtrians, and hence the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS has been vocal about upholding the Marathi pride. This narrative is being challenged by Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Sada Sarvankar, who is at the front. In fact, Sada has fielded both his children Samadhan and Priya, from two of these five wards. Take the case of Ward number 192, where the MNS has fielded Yeshwant Killedar, who was the first MNS candidate announced by its chief, Raj Thackeray. This announcement created a controversy as former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Priti Patankar overnight jumped to the Eknath Shinde camp and secured a ticket. This raised heckles among the existing Shiv Sena (Shinde) loyalists who raised objections. “We worked hard for the party for years, and here Priti has been thrust on us. My name was considered till the last moment, and overnight everything changed,” rued Kunal Wadekar, a Sada Sarvankar loyalist. ‘Dadar Neglected’ Killedar said that Dadar has been neglected for years. “The people in chawls don’t get proper water supply, and traffic is in doldrums,” said Killadar. Ward number 191 Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vishaka Raut, former Mumbai mayor, is locked in a tough fight against Priya Sarvankar, who is fighting on the Shiv Sena (Shinde) ticket. Priya’s brother Samadhan is fighting for his second term from neighbouring ward 194 against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Nishikant Shinde. Nishikant is the brother of legislator Sunil Shinde, a popular figure in this belt who vacated his Worli seat to accommodate Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray. Sada Sarvankar exudes confidence that both his children will be victorious. “Samadhan has served the people with all his dedication so much that he put his life at stake during the Covid-19 epidemic,” said Sada. “Priya has worked very hard for years and has secured this seat on merit. She will win, as people want a fresh face who will redress their grievances, as Vishaka Raut has been ineffective,” he added. He says the Mahayuti will Ward number 190 is the only ward where the BJP was the winner last term (2017) in this area, and the party has once nominated its candidate, Sheetal Gambhir Desai. Sheetal is being challenged by Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Vaishali Patankar. Sheetal vouches for the BJP, saying it’s time to replace the Shiv Sena (UBT) from the BMC. “They did nothing in the last 25 years, and people should now give a chance to the BJP,” said Sheetal. Incidentally, Sheetal is the daughter of Suresh Gambhir, a hardcore Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray loyalist, who has been a Mahim legislator for 4 terms and even won the 1985 BMC with the highest margin in Mumbai. In the neighbouring ward number 182, Shiv Sena (UBT) has given a ticket to former mayor and veteran corporator Milind Vaidya. He is being challenged by BJP candidate Rajan Parkar. Like the rest of Mumbai, this belt is also plagued by inadequate infrastructure to support the large-scale redevelopment projects. The traffic is in the doldrums, especially due to the closure of the Elphinstone bridge. There are thousands of old buildings and chawls which are in an extremely dilapidated state. The belt is significant, as top leaders like Manohar Joshi, Diwakar Raote and Suresh Gambhir have dominated local politics for years. In fact, Shiv Sena party’s first Chief Minister, Manohar Joshi, hailed from this belt.

Stolen Childhood

The recent rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Malegaon in Nashik district is a crime so horrific that it numbs the senses. A toddler stepped out to play near her home in Dongarlare village; within three hours she was lured away with a piece of chocolate, assaulted and killed, her small body dumped in the bushes near a mobile tower. While her family is obviously, the outrage has spread across Maharashtra as the state once more confronts its inability to shield its youngest and most vulnerable.


The sequence is tragically familiar. Around six in the evening, the child was noticed missing. Within an hour, her family alerted the police. Her playmates, the only witnesses, revealed that a 24-year-old construction worker from the same village had enticed her with chocolates. Acting on this information, the police swiftly tracked down the accused, who allegedly confessed during interrogation. Soon after, the girl’s body was recovered. The accused is now in custody, with investigations ongoing.


Swift action is welcome, but it does not mask the deeper institutional rot. Maharashtra, despite its claims of administrative excellence, remains unable to protect children from predatory violence. The state’s child-safety systems especially in rural districts are weak, fragmented and reactive. Most villages lack adequate lighting, community vigilance mechanisms or basic awareness programmes for parents and children. Families rely on social cohesion and informal neighbourhood supervision, a fragile safeguard that crumbles instantly when confronted with malice.


The Malegaon tragedy thus exposes a longstanding contradiction in India. While laws such as the POCSO Act are among the world’s strictest on paper, they falter in practice. Cases of child rape continue to rise; convictions remain abysmally low. Fast-track courts are anything but fast. Forensic delays, uneven policing standards and poor inter-agency coordination routinely weaken cases before they reach the trial stage. This failure is a moral one, and not just administrative.


Maharashtra’s ruling alliance, the Mahayuti, came to power promising a sterner hand on law and order. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as the State’s Home Minister, has often positioned himself as the custodian of Maharashtra’s internal security and the architect of a more efficient policing system. Unfortunately, at the moment, this perception is dismal.


It appears that the system bends for the powerful, stalls when confronted with theinconvenient, and collapses entirely for those without influence. This is why the Malegaon case demands more than formulaic assurances. It requires Fadnavis and the Mahayuti government to demonstrate that the state still retains the moral authority to deliver justice. They must ensure that investigators receive the resources they need, that lapses are punished, and that the trial proceeds on an accelerated timeline. Anything less risks further eroding public trust in the institutions meant to protect the vulnerable.


A society is judged not by how loudly it condemns barbarism, but by how effectively it prevents and prosecutes it. Maharashtra now stands at that test.

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