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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.

Terror Resurgent

The car bomb that ripped through the road near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station killing 13 and injuring 24 was yet another chilling reminder for us that Pakistan’s proxy terror war is alive and well. The incident was no isolated eruption but the tail-end of a grander conspiracy that India’s security agencies, to their credit, had mostly crushed. What they uncovered in Faridabad, Pulwama and beyond was a network years in the making, guided by Pakistan’s Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and aided by educated professionals who betrayed their oaths to heal.


The death toll in Delhi might have been increased a hundred-fold more had the plot not been foiled. In coordinated raids across states, the Jammu & Kashmir Police and Haryana STF seized close to 2,900 kilograms of explosive material - enough to flatten neighbourhoods - along with AK-47 rifles, detonators and bomb-making manuals. Among those arrested were doctors while another, Dr. Umar Nabi, is believed to have been the suicide bomber who perished in the blast.


Equally chilling was a parallel plan exposed in Gujarat, where a JeM affiliate was caught experimenting with ricin, one of the world’s deadliest toxins, capable of killing within hours. Had both modules succeeded, India could have faced its bloodiest night since 26/11 and the Pahalgam massacre earlier this year. That catastrophe was averted only by the quiet competence of the agencies who pieced together fragments of chatter, surveillance intercepts and suspicious money trails.


The Delhi blast served to underscore that Operation Sindoor has clearly not ended Pakistan’s proxy war. Islamabad’s intelligence-terror complex remains intact. What is chilling is the transformation of doctors who have turned jihadists. The Katra Medical College, where some of the accused reportedly studied, was founded and funded by the donations of Hindu pilgrims to the Vaishno Devi Shrine. That graduates of such an institution could repay faith with fanaticism is an obscenity that defies logical explanations.


This is not a problem of poverty or disenfranchisement. These are educated men radicalised by the steady drip of ideology from Islamic clerical mentors, encrypted channels and online echo chambers. The challenge is not simply to eliminate terrorists, but to drain the ecosystem that breeds them.


After the Pahalgam terror strike, Prime Minister Modi had warned Pakistan that every terror attack on Indian soil would be treated as an act of war. Will the Indian government again make Pakistan pay for continuing to host and fund terror as it did during Operation Sindoor?


The Delhi blast was meant to break the illusion that India’s cities were safe behind layers of intelligence and vigilance. It has succeeded in doing that. Yet the same episode also proved that India’s defences are faster in their response. The agencies have exposed what was building all along. The onus is on the government to ensure that the next explosion never needs to be remembered again. 


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