The Mumbadevi constituency, which got its name from the revered Mumbadevi temple known for giving name to this island city of Mumbai, will see a key contest between three-term MLA Amin Patel and fashion designer-turned politician Shaina NC, who is the daughter of Mumbai’s former sheriff Nana Chudasama. The battle for Patel will not be easy this year as his long representation of the constituency is overshadowed by lack of redevelopment work.
Patel, who is representing the Mumbadevi constituency for three consecutive terms, started his political journey as a municipal councillor from Kamathipura in 2002. He was elected to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation as a corporator in 2007 and was also a member of the Improvement Committee from 2005 to 2009. He has earned the tag of a Congress loyalist in his 35 years of politics and is known for breaking BJP’s streak of four terms in the Mumbaidevi constituency.
In 2009, Patel was elected as an MLA from Mumbadevi from the first time by securing around 46% of the total votes against Shiv Sena’s Anil Padwal and Samajwadi Party’s Bashir Patel. In 2014, he faced a tough four-way fight against BJP’s Atul Shah, AIMIM’s ohammad Shahid Rafi and Shiv Sena’s Yugandhara Salkar, wherein his voter share dropped down to 35%. However, he stood out as the strongest candidate again in 2019 elections wherein he secured 54.87% votes against Shiv Sena’s Pandurang Sakpal.
The three-term MLA is known for his outstanding performance in the assembly. Praja Foundation has ranked him as Mumbai’s top MLA for six consecutive years for his attendance, lean criminal record and quantity and quality of questions asked in the assembly. However, in terms of numbers of questions and quality of questions asked in the parliament, his rank dropped from first in 2023 to second in 2024.
Talking to The Free Press Journal, Patel said, “Thirteen years ago, I found out I ranked tenth in the report. Since then, I focused on improving and moved up to third place the next year. I pinpointed areas that needed work and tackled them. While an MLA’s main job is to make laws, people often bring local issues to their reps. My start as a corporator gave me a solid understanding of what the community needs and how to address those needs.”
However, his opponent in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections Shaina NC from the Shiv Sena believes that his performance in the parliament is contrasting to the work he has done for the constituency. “In the entire South Mumbai, Mumbadevi constituency has the mos backward infrastructure. It even lacks something as basic as a fire brigade and people are literally living at the mercy of lords. Sanitation and hygiene are another basic requirements that still lack here. The redevelopment of Kamathipura is also pending since such a long time. I think his performance of being the top MLA should be reviewed,” said Shaina.
The Mumbadevi constituency encompasses vital markets such as Bhuleshwar, Kalbadevi, Mohammad Ali Road, Crawford Market, and Bhendi Bazaar, areas predominantly beset by illegal structures, encroached thoroughfares, unlawful vehicular parking, and overwhelming throngs of shoppers. Numerous markets are situated adjacent to significant religious sites, including the Mumbadevi Zaveri Bazaar, where residents lament the arduous task of traversing the streets.
Satish Mehta, a businessman living in CP Tank area of the constituency, said, “Our MLA has carried out a lot of developmental works but there are a lot of issues which are still lying unresolved. Apart from heavy traffic congestion in areas like Dongri, redevelopment is a significant issue. There are a lot of areas like CP Tank and Gulalwadi where not a single building has been redeveloped. This old infrastructure should be done away with now.”
Mumbadevi constituency has over 50% of Muslim population and the community in the constituency is known for its high voter turnout. Patel has a good connect with the community and is often seen participating in social events of people in his constituency. He is also known for his availability for the people with his designated time of three hours for three-days per week to meet the citizens. The Muslim community in particular is also content with his work for the community and promotion of Urdu language.
Farid Khan, founder president of Urdu Karwaan, said, “He got the JJ Junction renamed as Dr. Allama Iqbal Chowk and another chowk in Bhendi Bazaar as Mohammad Ali Johar Chowk. Recently, his efforts have resulted into an English language research lab in Urdu medium B.Ed college. Similarly, the constituency now also has three Mumbai Public Schools in english medium. However, education and health are two such sectors which still need more work in the constituency.”
Shezaad Shaikh, a resident of Nagpada and president of Helping Humanity Foundation, which works to fulfil requirements of other NGOs looking after orphaned children, said, “I have been seeing Mr. Patel work for the people since my college days. Other than developmental works, he also helps us in social welfare wherein he often pays college fees for orphaned children from his funds. He got the Mastan Talao ground trnaformed with good sports facilities and also the Babbu Ground which now hosts basketball tournaments. He has never given us the chance to think that we should give someone else a chance to represent us.”
Patel is set to contest against Shaina NC, who had recently been in news for getting Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut booked for his sexist slur against her. While Patel aims at his fourth term on the trust of his developmental works and excellent assembly performance along with a close community connect, Shaina hopes to defeat Patel with her close relation to the constituency and her secular ideology.
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