Maharashtra Polls: No BJP flags at Nawab Malik’s Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar road show

With the terms of the race now final, the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar consistency is witnessing a tough battle: between the three-term incumbent MLA Abu Asim Azmi from the Samajwadi Party, tied up with the MVA; the Mahayuti’s official candidate Suresh ‘Bullet’ Patil from the Shiv Sena; and the wildcard Nawab Malik from the NCP despite the attempts of the Mahayuti’s other two parties to get him out.

Wasting no time, Malik began his campaigning in the area on Tuesday to a crowd of over 500. Beginning with the inauguration of his election office, he followed it up with a road show through the area, with people sporting pink scarves, fluorescent pink hats and the tagline ‘Mahaul badalne wala hai (The atmosphere is about to change),’ floating over the speakers. Conspicuously, no BJP flags were visible, as the party had made it clear it would not campaign for Malik.

Messy dynamics were at play: anti-incumbency, loyalties to parties and their coalitions and the division of Muslim votes among two Muslim leaders.

“People want a change from Abu Asim Azmi here, as he has fostered increasing drug use, crime and gundagiri in the area,” said Tushar Jadhav, an NCP party worker. “People voted for him out of fear all these years. But they’ve suffered through absolutely no development in Govandi because of him.”

Espousing Malik, Jadhav and his friends pointed out Malik’s work in the neighbouring constituency Anushakti Nagar, where he is the incumbent. “The situation in Cheeta Camp used to be as bad, but Malik has made it better,” said Jadhav. “People who need help here also go to him.” When asked about his ties to the BJP through the NCP connection, however, they downplayed it, pointing out that Malik had also filed his nomination as an independent before getting the seat from the NCP.

Several women in headscarves plumped for Malik, pointing out how he had helped them. But it was the bystanders watching the rally go past that were more revelatory in exposing the fault lines in the area.

“It will be a neck-and-neck fight between Malik and Azmi,” said Rukhsana Mirza, a resident of Indian Oil Nagar. “Azmi has been the MLA here for three terms, and many people support him.”

When asked what work Azmi had done, Mirza cited the area’s water woes—she said the taps used to have gutter water, a problem that Azmi solved in his first term. “He has also done some work on the roads here,” she said. “His strongman tactics are undeniable but they work in many ways to the advantage of the people here. So they will continue to vote for him.”

On Malik, however, Mirza harboured a wariness, not due to his track record but his presence in the alliance with the BJP. She posited that Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar would stand with SP candidate Azmi since he was connected to the Shiv Sena (UBT) through the MVA, a party that did “good work during Covid-19”. “But as this is a constituency with a lot of poor people, so many votes will be swayed by those who give gifts and money,” she said.

A few feet ahead, a huddle of men was entirely on Malik’s team, having absolved him of the BJP connection. “There is not a single BJP flag in this rally, so what does that show?” asked Afzal Ansari. “Abu Asim Azmi is worse than what the BJP could be. He’s done no work, and he has ruined the area with his tactics. Even the water issue that people say he fixed was due to the Congress before him; he just took the credit for it. Nawab Malik, on the other hand, has a good track record, especially with his work as the minority affairs minister.”

As the rally went ahead into the constituency’s even poorer slum areas, regurgitated echoes of these sentiments floated around. While some rooted for Azmi or Malik out of loyalty, a few even spoke of giving the BJP the chance to “replicate the work they’ve done elsewhere”. Yusuf Bhatiayarawala leaned towards “Bullet” Patil of Shinde’s Sena. “When he was a corporator here, his office would always be open to us,” he said.