Till voting concluded on Monday, a voter turnout of 51.88% was recorded in the Mumbai south central seat, which is witnessing a keen contest between rival Shiv Sena factions. Owing to the sweltering heat, the turnout waxed and waned as it started on a high note in the morning, with many voters enthusiastically showing up at polling booths. However, it dipped in the afternoon as the sun reached its peak, but the percentage of voting went up again in the evening. In the Dadar and Mahim areas, the percentage of voting was less due to the scorching heat, while voters turned out in large numbers in Dharavi.
Representing Shinde Sena, two-time MP Rahul Shewale is pitted against Anil Desai, a Rajya Sabha MP and close confidant of Uddhav Thackeray. What makes the electoral battle more intriguing is that Desai is contesting the polls for the first time.
High-profile voters like Nana Patekar, singer Anup Jalota and many Marathi celebrities came to exercise their franchise. The wheelchair-bound Varsha Chitre, 84, who retired from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, cast her vote at Dadar. She said, “I never miss voting. After Covid, I have been in a wheelchair, but I insisted my relatives take me for voting. I came to fulfill my duty.” First-time voters – Pranjab Kamble and her brother Raj felt “proud” after voting.
However, Shiv Nadar, another voter, didn't have such an easy-going experience. After showing up at polling booth no 148 in Dharavi, he was shocked to know that someone else had cast a vote in his name. He waited from 12pm to 5.40pm when he could finally cast his vote. “Someone else had cast a vote in my name. I approached an election officer. They checked my finger. The officers were careless and didn't know how many individuals missed their voting rights due to their attitude,” Nadar said. He then called police, after which a cop reached the spot and discussed the issue with the election officer. “They then allowed me to cast my vote,” Nadar added.
Nilesh Tayade, an officer at the polling booth, said, “CCTVs were installed outside the polling station and the footage was relayed to the collector office. If any untoward incident occurs, they immediately contact us.” Giving an instance, he said that they got a call from the collector office, asking to clear an unwanted crowd outside the polling station.
The Mumbai south central seat comprises six legislative assembly segments: Anushakti Nagar, Chembur, Dharavi, Sion-Koliwada, Wadala and Mahim. While Dharavi has earned the notoriety of being Asia's largest slum, Chembur and Mahim are affluent areas; making it a unique constituency. It is being construed that there might be a sympathy for Uddhav in Dadar and Mahim, which have a sizable Marathi population. However, it will be a cut-throat electoral battle as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Shivaji Park and the meeting between Shewale and Raj Thackeray might affect the Marathi voters as well. On the other hand, Uddhav might also get support from scheduled castes, Muslims and south Indians who make up the Dharavi and Chembur populace.
Voter turnout assembly constituency-wise:
Anushktinagar - 51%
Chembur - 53.48%
Dharavi - 46.82%
Mahim - 58%
Sion Koliwada - 48.20%
Wadala - 55.60%
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Mumbai south central witnessed a fiercely-contested battle, with a voter turnout of 55.23%. Shewale, who fought as the nominee of the undivided Sena, emerged victorious, securing 4,24,913 votes. He defeated Congress' Eknath Gaikwad, who garnered 2,72,774 votes.
