Exodus acts as party pooper

Elections in the city fall on August 11, just two days before Ganesh Chaturthi and the annual exodus that ensues to get to villages all along the Konkan where a large number of Maharashtrians hail from. 8220;Don8217;t go to Konkan before casting your vote,8221; Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray repeatedly exhorted the sea of humanity at the Chowpatty beach whilst kicking off the alliance8217;s election campaign in the state two weeks back.

The significance of the exodus was not lost on him. Middle class Maharashtrians make up a significant portionof the Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party8217;s vote banks and could make the difference between victory and defeat in many of the triangular contests.

This phenomena is confined exclusively to the city. Two Lok Sabha constituencies, Mumbai South-Central and Mumbai North-Central, which comprise a vast majority of mill workers who emigrated from the Konkan, are likely to be the worst affected. 8220;We have appealed to the people to leave after casting their votes on August 11. We8217;re using the fact that the Vajpayee government was brought down by a single vote to highlight the significance of one vote,8221; sitting Sena MP and candidate from Mumbai South-Central told Express Newsline. Grassroot workers, especially women have been briefed to convince voters not to leave, he added.

Sachin Ahir, Nationalist Congress Party NCP candidate from the Sewree assembly constituency said some political parties were even offering to arrange luxury buses for the voters to leave after the polls. 8220;Lots of voters approached us andasked if we could do the same for them,8221; he revealed. But wild horses can8217;t stop the people from leaving, and Ahir estimates the impact of the exodus could be as high as 15 per cent. 8220;In many cases, people have made reservations months in advance, it8217;s too late to cancel them,8221; he said. He hopes the people who leave are from amongst the 45 per cent who don8217;t usually vote.

The state transport bus stands now are deserted. The proverbial lull before the storm, for by the month-end there ensues a virtual stampede to leave the city towards a region that almost entirely survives on the money order economy. In its annual exercise, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC has readied a fleet of 1,350 special buses and kept 200 in reserve to deal with the rush to the Konkan that begins in early August and lasts around a month.

8220;These dates were decided on by the Election Commission after consulting all political parties. Chief Minister Narayan Rane had requested that the polls be held on anyday other than between August 13 and 26,8221; said VA Sapkal, Joint Chief Electoral Officer. He added that people could not be prevented from leaving.

But the fact that the elections in the city fall on August 11, a Saturday, would only encourage the exodus. 8220;Being a weekend, the EC should not have declared a holiday as it only encourages the exodus. People will take it as an incentive to leave,8221; says consumer activist R Sridhar.