Anil Desai, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Mumbai South Central constituency, tells Pallavi Smart how people are unhappy with recent political developments and, as they seek change, how he is reaching out to the voters who have great faith in Uddhav Thackeray. Excerpts: Shiv Sena had a strong hold on this constituency as a party candidate has been elected MP for two terms. But now that Sena has split, do you think there is confusion among voters? There is more clarity than confusion among voters. Public memory is not short-term. People are not happy with the way things have taken place. A progressive state like Maharashtra has never seen this kind of political turmoil. According to people the MVA government was performing well despite challenging conditions amid the pandemic. But now all that voters are talking about is unresolved issues, lack of basic necessities. For political reasons, civic elections are put on hold for so long. In absence of corporators who are connected with people, multiple local issues remain unresolved. The political instability is causing more concern to people. They are looking at all this. And evaluating the performance of who they elected last time. People are definitely seeking change with faith that their issues will be resolved. What are the pressing issues from the constituency? What is your vision for resolving them? Big residential areas are suffering from increased pollution levels due to massive constructions and other works causing public health concerns. There are other issues of Project Affected Persons (PAPs) rehabilitated in different pockets, who are complaining that they have just moved from horizontal to vertical slums where they lack basic necessities like electricity, water among all. The public health sector is absolutely inadequate to cater to the population. With the amendment to the Right To Education (RTE) Act, the state has indirectly closed the doors of private schools for children coming from poor backgrounds. Apart from these multiple local issues are causing day-to-day struggle for people who are looking at MLAs and MPs in absence of corporators. I plan to address all these issues which have remained unresolved for a long time. Dharavi redevelopment is a major topic of contention in your constituency. How is this playing a role in your campaign? Yes, Dharavi redevelopment plays a major role in this constituency. People from this densely populated slum, which not only has residential pockets but also various small-scale industries catering to the international market, are shocked. Nobody is against the development. But after showing a rosy picture, the actual policy on paper, especially the eligibility clause, has shaken the faith of Dharavi residents. Our party leader Uddhav Thackeray on the other hand has actually understood their concerns and is willing to address their fears of displacement. We are not against the development but we are assuring locals that it will be as per their demands. You are generally considered a backstage-strategy man of the party. This is your first election, against your former colleague who has been a sitting MP twice. Is this challenging? How are you campaigning? Even backstage, I have been a crucial part of this entire process of election all these years starting from technical aspects to even campaigning in the field, in different parts of the state. The only thing different this year is that I am the one in the field, as a candidate. Every election is a challenge for all the contestants. If the sitting MP is sure of having done wonderfully, then they should not bother. But people on the ground have different opinions as they seek change. I am campaigning across various pockets of the constituency. We are holding talks with people staying in slums as well as societies to understand their concerns, and meeting with various communities. Moreover, Lok Sabha poll depends on ideology of the party and image of the party leader. Uddhavji has a great image among voters, people have faith in him as they hope for stability in the state so that focus can be on development.
