Lok Sabha polls 2014: In Mumbai, it's accessibility vs Modi wave

MUMBAI: It is a straight contest between the Modi wave and the popularity of one candidate in Mumbai-North.

During the 2009 parliamentary polls, Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam had won but with a margin of just 5,779 votes against BJP heavyweight Ram Naik. Nirupam’s victory came thanks to the MNS eating into the Sena-BJP votes as the MNS candidate polled 1.47 lakh votes.

This time though, Nirupam does not have the MNS cushion as Raj Thackeray’s party has decided not to give opposition to BJP candidates. But Nirupam’s spirited fight against BJP candidate Gopal Shetty has surprised many who were expecting a smooth sail for Shetty.

Nirupam’s popularity stems from the fact that he has spent last five years creating a direct connect with the people from his constituency. He has been lending an ear to their problems, be it the power tariff cut issue or ensuring help for detained Merchant Navy captain Sunil James from a Togo jail. The Congress MP has also won a lot of admirers for getting ‘deemed conveyance’ for many housing societies.

However, all of these could pale in the face of anti-incumbency and the Modi wave.

The constituency boasts of a sizeable number of Marathi and Gujarati people who are expected to vote for BJP’s Shetty, who is an MLA from Borivali. However, Nirupam disagrees, “In the last five days, I have been meeting people in my constituency for four to five hours, and have found that I have been able to make inroads into Marathi and Gujarati voters’ mind. My work in the constituency will speak for itself.”

Shetty admits that Nirupam has been accessible to the people of his constituency. “He has been meeting a lot of people, but it hasn’t resulted in anything concrete. It’s like opening a shop but not selling anything. He hasn’t done anything for the safety of the train commuters,” said Shetty. For Shetty, the Modi wave and the absence of MNS will work in his favour.

He has also got the support of the RPI (Athavale) faction. What makes Nirupam’s battle really tough is that the Samajwadi party has put up a candidate, which will further eat into the minority votes of the Congress. Nirupam may, however, benefit as there are a number of Shiv-Sena and BJP functionaries who are upset with Shetty and are apparently working for the Congress candidate.