Mumbai North duel divides most voters along community lines

Community consolidation may have determined voting patterns in

Mumbai North

, where BJP MP Gopal Shetty is locked in a fierce combat with actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar of the Congress.


The constituency has nearly 16.5

lakh voters

and registered the highest turnout, over 59%, in the city.

The BJP claimed that Shetty has an edge over Matondkar because of Gujaratis and Rajasthanis voting en bloc for him. The combined tally of the two mercantile communities supercedes the constituency's Marathi population. On the other hand, the Congress said a sizeable number of Marathi-speaking voters in Dahisar, Magathane and Charkop-Gorai backed "aapli Matondkar". "Many Shiv Sena sympathisers have voted for Matondkar, ignoring the BJP-Sena poll partnership," said former Congress corporator from Gorai Shivananda Shetty. Many Marathis are reportedly upset that the Sena inked a poll pact with the BJP after four years of bitter sparring.

If the results bear out that voting was indeed

along community lines

, as parties claim is evident in Mumbai South, Mumbai North West and Mumbai North East as well, the trend would be reflected in the October state assembly elections as well, say poll analysts.

Widespread support from the MNS, following party president Raj Thackeray's no-holds-barred campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has strengthened Matondkar's case with Marathi-speaking voters, said Shivananda Shetty.

While claiming that Gopal Shetty would win "hands down", BJP MLA from Kandivli (east) Atul Bhatkhalkar said, "People gave top priority to national security. They want a strong prime minister who can decimate terrorism." BJP MLA from Charkop Yogesh Sagar said Shetty had done "exceedingly well" and that Matondkar could lose her deposit.

Congress MLA from Malavani Aslam Shaikh claimed minorities have backed Matondkar. "Also, more than 50% Tamilians from Malavani have supported the Congress," he said.

Polling picked up momentum after 11am across the populous constituency, which stretches between Dahisar and Malavani in Malad. In Yogi Nagar in Borivli and Mahavir Nagar in Kandivli, voters were out at 7 am.

Many complained that their names were not found on the voters' list. Voters from Navagaon-Kandarpada and Damu Nagar-Hanuman Nagar were seen arguing with EC staffers on the issue. After much running around, a voter from Ashok Nagar, Dahisar, found his name in Thakur village in Kandivli.

Four first-time voters from Chandavarkar Road said they pressed the NOTA button out of disgust. "No politician can save this country," declared a young commerce graduate. There are over 11,000 debutante voters in Mumbai North.

There were scores of complaints that polling was progressing at a snail's pace, thanks to the VVPAT system. "The EC should rejig the booth-voter equation. Today, one polling booth takes care of 1,400 voters. This figure should be brought down to 700 voters," said Bhatkhalkar. "Also, the EC should have in place permanent staff to revise and update voters' list and accordingly inform constituents."