Maharashtra polls: North Indian votes crucial in Mumbai

In the 60-odd seats in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR), the votes of the strong North Indian community will matter. The financial capital of Mumbai and parts of the neighbouring Palghar, Thane and Raigad districts of coastal Konkan belt is home to over 40 lakh North Indians, mainly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

At a time when the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are riding on the wave of nationalism and development, the Congress is faced with crisis. Former Mumbai Congress president Kripashankar Singh left party while another ex-MRCC chief Sanjay Nirupam is sidelined.

"North Indians play a major role in the economy of Mumbai and its suburbs and they have a say in politics," said Mumbai-based political analyst, journalist and poet Omprakash Tiwari.

"Political parties cannot take North Indians lightly," added Tiwari, who hails from the temple town of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

More than a dozen North Indian leaders are in fray in Mumbai - minister of state Vidya Thakur and Ramesh Thakur (both BJP), encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma (Shiv Sena), deputy leader of Congress in Assembly Naseem Khan (Congress), Nawab Malik (NCP), Abu Asim Azmi (Samajwadi Party).

In fact, during the Lok Sabha polls and now Vidhan Sabha polls, the Congress did not have an alliance with MNS founder-president Raj Thackeray's earlier anti-migrants stand. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP was though keen for an alliance. "The North Indian politics in Mumbai is interesting. They vote after due consultions, their votes are crucial given the numbers," said independent writer and analyst Naveen Kumar, who hails form Bihar.

While for Shiv Sena, it is Uddhav Thackeray who is urging for votes, the BJP has deployed a battery of star campaigners like Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputy Keshavprasad Maurya, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Bhojpuri actors Manoj Tiwari, and Ravi Kisan and Niahua. The Congress is planning public meetings of shot-gun Shatrughan Sinha.

People from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are the backbone of Mumbai's daily operations right from supplying milk, newspapers, vegetables, gardening, ironing clothes, driving autos and taxis.