BJP infighting queers pitch: Ex-MLA hopes for comeback, sitting MLA seeks re-election as Independent

In the 2019 polls too, Geeta Jain rebelled against her enactment and fought arsenic an autarkic to look arsenic the city’s archetypal pistillate MLA. She defeated the BJP campaigner and past sitting MLA Narendra Mehta arsenic good arsenic Congress’ Hussain, by a borderline of 15,526 and 23,636 votes respectively. Upon her victory, she pledged enactment to the Mahayuti alliance.

Since re-joining BJP, she has subscribed to the enactment enactment and besides openly pandered to the right-wing ideologues. In the aftermath of unit successful Naya Nagar, a lawsuit was lodged against Jain for violative speeches during the clashes.

It came arsenic a implicit astonishment to galore then, including Jain, that the BJP denied her the ticket, nudging a dismayed Jain to present bat arsenic an autarkic nether the awesome of ‘batsman’. “Until the past day, I was promised that the summons belonged to me. Nobody was expecting this. Despite supporting the enactment wholeheartedly, now, I consciousness ditched,” Geeta Jain told Express, up of a rally done the Jesal parkland country successful Bhayandar.

Instead, the BJP has fielded Narendra Mehta, who antecedently served arsenic the MLA of Mira Bhayandar successful 2014. Mehta is nary alien to controversy—having been embroiled successful cases and allegations of harassment, rape and corruption successful 2022.

Having already witnessed a face-off successful 2019 polls, the animosity betwixt Jain and Mehta is nary secret. In this run too, they person been engaging successful mudslinging done a warfare of words.

Earlier this week, Mehta besides registered a complaint, pursuing which a lawsuit was registered against Jain’s lensman for circulating violative contented against Mehta connected societal media. This prompted Jain to signifier a sit-in protestation extracurricular the Navghar constabulary presumption to protestation the ‘illegal’ detention of her photographer.

Despite her popularity, enactment functionaries from BJP alluded that determination was rising discontent against Jain implicit the slowed gait of infrastructure enactment successful the duplicate metropolis since 2019. Party insiders added that Jain’s fledging enactment allegiances successful the past person besides raised concerns.

For the record, the BJP has dominated the country since the enactment of the Mira Bhayander Assembly constituency successful 2009, with either the enactment oregon its affiliates winning some the Municipal Corporation and retaining the spot since 2014.

Amid this infighting to clasp onto the party’s pouch borough, the MVA has announced Syed Muzaffar Hussain of the Congress arsenic its candidate.

While helium mislaid the assembly polls contention successful 2019, helium has served presumption arsenic corporator, successful the legislative assembly and the lawman politician of the section corporation. Besides boasting of a cleanable slate with nary transgression records, his candidature holds added import successful the discourse of the caller communal disturbances successful Naya Nagar.

It was Hussain’s begetter Syed Nazar Hussain who had envisaged Naya Nagar country arsenic a planned residential portion for Muslims. The Mira Bhayandar corp has a sizable Muslim colonisation accounting for 16.28 percent of the full population, astir of which reside successful Naya Nagar. In airy of the caller clash, governmental observers stated that Hussain could apt sway the number votes.

Core issues successful the area

Buoyed by the affordable existent property and proximity to Mumbai, the constituency has witnessed a accelerated roar successful colonisation successful caller years, putting a strain connected the area’s existing resources. Water scarcity, postulation and inadequate infrastructure, including deficiency of last-mile connectivity, person emerged arsenic cardinal concerns up of polls.

For Jain, the agenda, upon coming to power, is to implicit each the ongoing infrastructure projects. “We volition commencement with enactment connected the interior pipeline of Amrit-2, implicit the factual CC roadworthy work, physique hospitals for which permissions were finalised 2 months ago, amended the prime of acquisition and heighten the information of the area,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hussain has raised questions implicit the incomplete works of the incumbent authorities successful his predetermination campaigns. Hussain told Express, “For the past 10 years, this authorities has been successful powerfulness successful the Centre and successful the corporation. Nothing stopped them and yet, nary enactment has been executed successful Mira Bhayandar successful the past decade. My docket is to amended the h2o supply, policing, bring much hospitals, make occupation opportunities, infrastructure and enactment with the fishermen successful Uttan, too different works.”

BJP campaigner Mehta’s manifesto besides promises to amended infrastructure and boost connectivity successful the constituency. From bringing the coastal roadworthy upto Mira Bhayandar to introducing caller trains from Mira Road to Churchgate and creating much occupation opportunities, Mehta is wooing voters with the entreaty of transforming the constituency.