Mumbai: The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA) described the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance in the municipal corporation elections in Mumbai and in other cities across the state as an affirmation of the city's cosmopolitan spirit that rejected the nativism and anti-business views of the opposition parties.
Identity politics rejected
The association said that attempts to mobilise votes on the basis of language, regional identity, and religion, combined with aggressive street-level tactics, failed to resonate with the voters. Even Marathi-speaking Mumbaikars chose harmony, dignity, and development over confrontational and divisive politics, said FRTWA.
"The biggest political jolt for the Thackerays has come not only from the Gujarati, Kutchi, Marwari, North Indian, and South Indian communities but also from Mumbai’s broader cosmopolitan population—a city shaped by people from every region of India, speaking different languages and practicing different religions," said Viren Shah, president of FRTWA.
"Mumbai has never belonged to one community or language. It belongs to those who work, build, invest, and contribute. Any politics that challenges this spirit was bound to face resistance," Shah added.
Development focus
FRTWA said that Mumbai’s voters chose better roads, efficient public transport, modern infrastructure, affordable housing, and an improved quality of life as the factors determining their choice of candidates. Large-scale projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road, Metro network, and Atal Setu have been widely welcomed across communities. The focus on "development, development, and development" connected far more strongly than identity-based politics, FRTWA said, adding that violence and intimidation in the name of language—including threats, slapping, abusive language, and harassment of traders and citizens—disturbed Mumbai’s inclusive and secure identity.
Abusing business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs who fuel the city's economy and create employment proved to be counterproductive as voters chose governance over aggression, growth over grievance, and unity over division, said FRTWA.
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