MUMBAI: As a cornered Shiv Sena on Saturday helplessly watched the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking all the credit for unveiling new infrastructure projects in the city — more importantly that of Chhatrpati Shivaji’s statue in the Arabian Sea — it now faces the challenge of keeping its core voter base of Konkanis in the city intact, ahead of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
Riding high on its recent victories in local body polls in Konkan, especially in Sindhudurg, the Congress has decided to use this opportunity to try and influence their brethren in Mumbai to consider options other than the Sena. A former Sena leader and now Congress heavyweight, Narayan Rane and his son, Member of the Legislative Assembly Nitesh Rane, who hail from Sindhudurg, will tap the Konkani community in Mumbai to convince them to vote for the Congress.
The Congress will organise a number of get-togethers, small meetings and melavas (assemblies) in all six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai. The first such melava of various groups formed by Konkani voters settled in Mumbai will be held on January 8. The venue is yet to be decided.
“It is a fact that Konkani voters form the backbone of Sena’s support in Mumbai. Who better than us would know it? No other party has ever even tried to tap the discontent among these voters against the Sena. They too have been traditionally voting for this party. But now is the time to break the monopoly,” said Nitesh Rane, Congress MLA from Konkan.
The party has chalked out areas in central, eastern and parts of western Mumbai which have a higher percentage of voters orginally from Konkan for its get-togethers. These meetings will be addressed by influential people such as a Zilla Parishad president, a district cooperative bank chairman, or a Panchayat Samiti member from rural Konkan, and not just by Congress leaders from Mumbai.
Ever since the Sena’s inception, voters with roots in Konkan have been loyal to it. A majority of the party’s current leadership is originally from Konkan. Historically, mill workers in Mumbai from Konkan turned into hardcore supporters with the end of Left labour unions. Ironically, in the past, leaders such as Narayan Rane had played a key role in expanding the Sena’s base among Konkani voters.
“There are examples where a family member in Konkan votes for the Congress, but members from same family vote for the Sena in Mumbai. We want to break that tradition. I am sure if we manage to convince them, it will be of great benefit to us,” said Mr. Rane.
Mumbai Congress President Sanajay Nirupam, too, said the party was working on this front.
“The Congress is a party for all. We believe in the unity of Mumbaikars for its betterment. I am sure the people will understand our message and come to us,” Mr. Nirupam said.
