As Mumbai gears up for its crucial civic polls, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Vinod Mishra is confident of securing a second term from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) ward number 43 in Malad. Known affectionately as 'Vinod Bhaiya' among constituents, Mishra believes his track record of delivering on-ground development will trump any appeal based on religious lines in the politically significant ward.
Door-to-Door Campaign in a Diverse Constituency
Since his candidature was announced last month, Mishra has embarked on an intensive door-to-door campaign across the P north constituency. On a recent Thursday morning, amidst the bustling traffic of Malad, he navigated through the local market at Kurar village and the narrow lanes of Pathanwadi's slum pockets, connecting with shop owners and residents.
The demographic tapestry of his ward is complex. It boasts an electorate of 46,923 voters, with Mishra himself noting that over 8,000, or 20 percent, are Muslim. The population is largely dominated by Maharashtrian, Marwari, and Gujarati communities. In the previous election, Mishra clinched victory by a razor-thin margin of 700 votes, later serving as the BJP's group leader in the BMC until the body's dissolution in 2022.
Development Over Division: The 'Vinod Bhaiya' Mantra
Mishra's campaign pitch hinges squarely on his developmental work, particularly for slum dwellers. He cites the restart and completion of several stalled Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects as his flagship achievement. "One of my biggest successes during my last tenure was that I was able to get flats and houses for slum dwellers under the government’s SRA scheme," Mishra stated. He organized sit-in protests and demonstrations to push the administration, ultimately ensuring many families received houses in their names.
His approach during the COVID-19 pandemic also earned him goodwill. Local shop owner Sushma Patil (67) from Pathanwadi recalled how Mishra visited households to ensure vaccination and arranged food packets for stranded migrant workers.
"In my constituency, people don’t vote on the basis of religion. They vote on the basis of work done," Mishra asserted, reflecting on his previous win in what was considered a minority-dominated ward against candidates from the Congress and Samajwadi Party. "This year also I will be re-elected but with a larger margin."
A Quadrilateral Fight for Ward 43
The upcoming contest in ward 43 is set to be a multi-cornered fight. The BJP faces competition from the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Irfan Nawab Khan, the Nationalist Congress Party's (SP) Ajit Balakrishnan Navrane, and the Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) candidate Jayesh Rajesh Pandey.
Despite the challengers, several residents express confidence in Mishra's candidature. Avinash Singh, a local resident, praised the sitting corporator's deep understanding of the ward's issues. "One of the key qualities of Mishra is that he knows our ward in and out and is well versed not only about the problems but also about their possible outcomes," Singh said.
As the campaign trail heats up, Vinod Mishra's bid for a second term will test whether his formula of grassroots connection and a development-centric narrative can successfully navigate Mumbai's complex civic politics and secure a more decisive mandate.
