On the second day of his visit, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the city, saw a shift in its focus from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections to Dharavi.
Former party MP Eknath Gaikwad and his daughter, the area's sitting legislator Varsha Gaikwad, are likely to benefit the most from this visit. Ms Gaikwad seems to have scored over city Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam with Mr Gandhi’s padyatra (march) as she was able to prove her strength in her
constituency.While on Friday, Mr Gandhi exhorted party men to win the BMC election in his speech at Malad, on the second day he visited Dharavi and interacted with people, including taxi and auto drivers, and fishermen. The march started from the National College in Bandra (west), which is a minority-dominated Assembly constituency and concluded in Dharavi, the home constituency of Ms Gaikwad.
Three-time Congress MLA Baba Siddique lost the 2014 poll to BJP's city president Ashish Shelar. Mr Gaikwad, a senior Congress MP, lost the Dharavi Lok Sabha constituency in 2014 to Shiv Sena's Rahul Shewale.
It was Ms Gaikwad who arranged for Mr Gandhi to meet up with local traders and workers. The focus was on Dharavi, its development and its traders.
A Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, said the march would not be beneficial to the party in the BMC election. “Dharavi is a small part of the city. How will Mr Gandhi’s Dharavi tour help the party's chances in other wards ” he asked. He said the show of strength by Ms Gaikwad would only benefit her family.
More than 40,000 people joined the march. Arun Pawar, a constable, said the police was on duty since 7 am. Kariamma, a local, said the party had offered her '200 to join the march. Vijay Kumar, a worker with a labourer, said his boss, whose wife was a contractor, had ordered him to join the rally. “We get '4,000 per month, but today, we will not get anything ,” said Mr Kumar.
