Mumbai: With 9 new BMC constituencies carved out, gains for parties with strong base or a chance to field new faces?

MUMBAI: With nine new BMC constituencies carved out, political observers and analysts said around 70% of the existing electoral wards have been impacted. While opposition parties said the new wards were likely to give the ruling Shiv Sena an edge, some analysts said they will give parties with a stronghold in these areas a chance to field fresh faces.
Election data analyst Hitesh Jain said the split in wards will affect all parties and give them a chance to put up new candidates in the new wards.“Almost 70% of the constituencies have been affected by the redrawing exercise. In the nine new wards, election data from previous elections shows the Sena and BJP have an advantage in four wards each, while the Congress is at an advantage in one ward. But going by trends in all the other constituencies where voters have been relocated, the ruling party (Sena) may have an edge. In some areas the altered linguistic demographics has thrown up 40 constituencies which could be called new, where new faces can be given a chance. These are for the moment neutral wards,” Jain said.

RTI activist Anil Galgali from L ward (Kurla) said the new corporator ward carved out of L and N wards is likely to benefit the Sena as it has a majority of Maharashtrians, the Sena’s traditional voter base.“While the area also has a belt of Gujarati and Muslim voters, it is largely Marathi-dominated,” Galgali said.
Some from the opposition are not perturbed. BJP corporator Vidyarthi Singh, whose ward boundary has been affected with parts now forming another ward, said it will not affect his winnability quotient. “If the seat sees no reservation, I will contest and win, and I am sure my winning margin will be more this time,” he said.

Ex-MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande, an aspirant from the Shivaji Park area in G-North ward, said the consistency from which he is likely to contest has been left untouched. “That’s because this is considered a Shiv Sena stronghold. But several wards in the central Mumbai belt from Dadar (W), Parel, Worli and Lower Parel have been demarcated to ensure Sena gets more seats. There is no doubt this whole exercise is going to give the Sena an edge,” he said.
BJP corporator Vinod Mishra said in his Malad ward, an area where minority votes are large has been added. “The boundaries were altered to disturb BJP. In many places, BJP strongholds have been made stronger by adding more BJP voters, and in those constituencies which were weak, voters have been split to ensure BJP loses. Some constituencies have been expanded geographically to help Sena,” he said.