Low turnout zone set for a triangular battle

MUMBAI, February 23: Once considered a Congress bastion, the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency is poised for an interesting three-cor...

MUMBAI, February 23: Once considered a Congress bastion, the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha constituency is poised for an interesting three-cornered fight.

With sitting Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Madhukar Sarpotdar fighting it out with Samajwadi Party8217;s Tushar Gandhi and Janata Dal candidate and former inspector general of police Aftab Ahmed Khan, what remains to be seen is the extent to which Mahatma Gandhi8217;s name works to the benefit of his great grandson.

While the SP-Congress-RPI alliance has posed a challenge to Sarpotdar, the presence of Khan, who enjoys the confidence of many Muslims, is expected to cause a division in Muslim votes, giving Sarpotdar an edge over his rivals.

The constituency, covering Bandra, Kherwadi, Vile Parle, Amboli, Santacurz and Andheri, used to witness Mumbai8217;s most colourful and star-studded campaigns, and film star Sunil Dutt won thrice from here in 1984, 1989, and 1991. But the hype created by the candidates in 1998 remains largely confined to their respective partyworkers, as a large number of voters are simply disinterested.

Statistics reveal the constituency has had one of the lowest voter turnouts in the city. Vile Parle registered a meagre 10-20 per cent turnout of the total number of middle and upper-middle class voters during the last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. This number shot up marginally to 30 per cent during the last BMC elections held in February 1997.

But Tushar Gandhi isn8217;t worried about the low voter turnout. According to him, 8220;The Muslim voter has learnt that Sarpotdar won only due to division of their votes. Middle class voters and the large presence of Gujaratis will also benefit me,8221; Tushar Gandhi said.

Gandhi has been building up rapport with his voters through gruelling eight-hour-long padayatras and public meetings throughout the day. But he admitted it was an uphill task for him, as he was pitted against the organised grassroot-level Sena poll machinery.

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Gandhi said he would press for a uniform education system in India, and feltthat unless the road network was re-planned, construction of 35 flyovers without improving basic infrastructure would only create more chaos.

In an attempt to woo fisherfolk, Gandhi has said he will strive to seek a complete ban on fishing in Indian waters by foreign fishing fleet.

Sarpotdar, on the other hand, is also donning secular colours. quot;I don8217;t think division of votes will affect me. For the Sena, a voter is never a Muslim or a Hindu, but an intelligent person who knows what8217;s best for him. My victory is a foregone conclusion. People are already questioning Gandhi8217;s decision to join a party which is known to nurture criminals in its rank and file. As for Khan, he has no political background, and even a section of Muslims say he was biased as a cop,quot; he said.

Sarpotdar said he was committed to improve the civic infrastructure in the constituency with the optimum use of his MP funds. The relocation of slums on the airport land is also one of his priorities.

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For former IGP Khan, taking up cudgelsagainst the Sena-BJP alliance has come naturally after the state government revived an old inquiry against him just 15 days before his promotion to the rank of additional director general of police. Khan resigned when promotion was not awarded.

Also in the fray as an independent is journalist Abhay Mokashi, who has taken on the clout of seasoned politicians.