In clash of titans Nawab Malik and Abu Azmi in Muslim-dominated Mumbai seat, a Sena face fancies his chances

Given the beingness of a 3rd Muslim candidate, the AIMIM’s Ateeque Ahmad Khan, Mehboob Chaudhary, a 42-year-old businessman from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, says: “This time, determination is simply a fearfulness that the Muslim votes volition split, and the Shiv Sena volition extremity up winning the seat.”

Many are predicting a choky contest, with winning margins arsenic debased arsenic 2,000 to 3,000 votes.

Vote shares successful Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar.

Azmi has won Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar successful 3 consecutive polls since 2009, defeating the past undivided Shiv Sena’s Vithal Lokare successful 2019 by implicit 25,000 votes.

This time, isolated from the beingness of 3 candidates from the community, determination is the added origin of a long-running rivalry betwixt Malik and Azmi, who some began their governmental careers with the SP. In 1996, Malik had won his archetypal predetermination from Mumbai’s Nehru Nagar arsenic an SP leader, nether Azmi’s enactment successful the state. The archetypal camaraderie gave mode to ego clashes aft Azmi failed to marque his ain governmental debut and Malik went connected to go a minister. In October 2001, Azmi expelled Malik from the SP, and Malik aligned himself with the past agreed NCP.

Voters speech of rising crime, cause menace, contamination from a biomedical discarded plant, and constricted improvement of acquisition and aesculapian institutions arsenic their large concerns successful the constituency. The anti-incumbency against Azmi implicit these issues could besides beryllium a origin successful the contest.

“The prevalent issues volition spell against Azmi. He has not done thing to assistance the radical here. Instead, cause usage among the younker has increased, and the concern has go frightening,” says Imran Siddique, a regular wager.

Mehboob Chaudhary adds: “An MLA’s relation is to guarantee that each authorities provisions scope the people, but our MLA was ne'er here. I person 2 children, and lone I cognize the conflict to support them distant from drugs. Narcotic substances are easy disposable here, and our MLA has done thing to halt them.”

That the cause contented is simply a superior interest is reflected successful the manifestos of each the 3 large candidates, Malik, Patil and Khan, who committedness to code the menace.

Patil and Azmi person faced disconnected earlier against each other, successful 2014, with Azmi winning by conscionable nether 10,000 votes. Malik is simply a two-time MLA from Mumbai’s Anushakti Nagar seat. This time, Malik’s girl Sana is contesting from there, with Malik claiming helium chose Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar alternatively owed to fashionable demand.

Mustakeem Ahmed, a local, says: “We wanted Malik to contention from present to supply contention to Azmi and bring a alteration to the system. But voting for him would fundamentally mean supporting the BJP and helping them signifier a government, which astir radical present don’t want. So, we are unsure however galore votes helium volition get.”

Some older voters successful the constituency accidental Azmi’s ballot slope is inactive precise overmuch with him. Danish Shaikh, a 52-year-old electrician, recalls that the country is successful acold amended information contiguous than it was successful the aboriginal 2000s. “I person been present since 1980, and I’ve seen the changes Azmi has brought to the constituency aft becoming an MLA. In the aboriginal 2000s, I retrieve walking implicit a kilometre to the Govandi railway presumption to fetch h2o and carrying containers connected our heads. But today, everyone has taps successful their homes,” helium says.

Javed Khan, who works arsenic a caterer successful the area, adds: “The cause menace is acold little today, and if determination are immoderate issues, I would clasp the constabulary liable for not curbing it. Azmi bhai has ever been with his people. Whenever anyone calls him, helium is acceptable to help. He visits Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar astatine slightest 5 times a week to recognize the problems.”

For immoderate voters, the AIMIM candidate’s section link volition beryllium the deciding factor. “Agar humara MLA wohi galli se jaega jisse hum guzarate hain, tabhi toh vo humari museebaton ko samjhega (If our MLA walks done the aforesaid streets we spell through, lone past volition helium recognize our troubles),” says Shaikh Faiyaz Alam. “Khan has fought for the issues of the people, and I judge that helium understands them amended than others.”