Campaign trail: ‘In 10 years, you will see a different Dharavi… protecting Kumbharwada will be a focus area’

BJP candidate Ravi Raja campaigns in Ward No. 185, Dharavi, ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, on Saturday. (Express photo by Akash Patil)

In Dharavi’s congested lanes, the election buzz is palpable. From Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), tempos bearing images of candidates across party lines pace along the 90-feet-road of ward number 185 throughout the day.

Akin to the buzz all around, a corner across Kamaraj High School on the 90-feet-road jolted to action around 9.30 am as a group of women, children and party workers convened outside the BJP party office on Friday. Donning BJP caps, placards, wristbands and saffron stoles, the gathering burst into excitement as the BJP candidate from ward no. 185, Ravi Raja, joined them. Amid chants and a sea of BJP flags, Raja kicked off his campaign on Friday, when he walked through the narrow lanes of Dharavi’s Transit camp area.

Poised to witness a massive transformation with the approval of the redevelopment project, Dharavi has become the hotbed of political discussion ahead of general body elections of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on January 15. Its 185 ward, which encompasses densely populated belts of Dharavi slums like Rajiv Gandhi Nagar and Transit camp has 16 candidates in the fray for the upcoming polls. However, the battle for no. 185 ward has boiled down to a triangular contest between Congress’ Kamlesh Chitroda, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate and sitting corporator T M Jagdish and BJP’s Ravi Raja.

Despite the promise of an overhaul, the ward currently grapples with basic amenities ranging from lack of cleanliness to insufficient water. The ward encompasses an electorate of nearly 38,000 voters, who aired concerns over their taps running dry, inadequate and unsanitary toilets, and overflowing drains.

“Even though we have a BMC pipeline and taps, there is no water in the taps. We have to then depend on private water and pay separately. Even the drains are clogged with filth and nobody ever cleans them, despite appeals. Water is a big issue for us and almost every household has to deal with ailments like dengue. Even the public toilets are shut at midnight, making it challenging for women particularly during their pregnancies,” said Priya Sharma, a resident of Dharavi’s Dhobi ghat area.

While the crucial Dharavi seat has eluded the BJP in the past — in 2017, Sena UBT’s T M Jagdish clinched the seat from Congress candidate while at the Assembly level, Dharavi falls under Congress’ MLA Jyoti Gaikwad — the party is eyeing to make inroads this polls.

On his campaign trail through the jammed Transit camp pocket, Raja pointed to the heaps of garbage across the area and said that fixing basic amenities will be a key focus area for him. “Every other corner here is full of filth. What work has the sitting corporator done here? There is no cleanliness, no adequate water and not even proper sanitation services. Once I come to power, my focus will lie on resolving these issues. I will also make sure that all toilets are fixed and access is given to all,” said Raja.

Having first come to power in 1992, Raja has served consecutive terms as a corporator while he also served as a Leader of Opposition in the BMC between 2017-2022. But the upcoming polls mark a new chapter for Raja, in many ways. While he won the previous elections on a Congress ticket, Raja — in 2024 – joined BJP over party differences. Further, while he previously contested from Sion East (176 ward), he lost his home turf to reservations with the 176 ward reserved for OBC. In a first, he is now set to contest on a BJP ticket from the Dharavi’s 185 seat.

Raja said he is confident of clinching the seat with good margin. “The sitting corporator was missing from action all these years. I have been in the BMC for 25 years and understand the system well. When I go to meet people, they recognise me immediately. Being close to my former Sion seat, I have a good grasp over the issues in the Dharavi area,” said Raja.

For Raja, Kumbharwada — the potters’ colony which has been settled in Dharavi since 1875 — has also emerged as a key area of focus. “In the next ten years, we will see a different Dharavi. And protecting the Kumbharwada will be a crucial focus area for us. I have plans to carve out a big space for the craftsmen of this community and provide them with redeveloped space in the same area,” he said.

According to the party’s estimates, of 185 ward’s total electorate, Kumbhars account for a population of nearly 5,000, followed by 5,000 Tamils, nearly 5,000 Muslims, 8,000 Maharashtrians, 3,000 North Indians while the rest is accounted for by a mixed population.