Maharashtra polls: How citizens’ groups are drawing out rich Mumbaikars
Mumbai's affluent areas see low voter turnout, prompting citizen groups to boost participation through campaigns and social media
MUMBAI: Ranked third in the list of cities with most billionaires, Mumbai is dotted with affluent pin codes. However, the drive and purposefulness that leads to wealth creation curiously eludes electoral responsibility – evidenced by low voter turn-out in south Mumbai, Versova and Bandra.

Ahead of voting day, many citizens’ groups in these areas have been making an attempt to improve the record by encouraging residents to vote.
Mahendra Hemdev, member of Marine Drive Residents’ Forum, shared, his associates have been “calling people and sending messages on WhatsApp groups pushing them to vote, alerting them to disadvantages of voter apathy”.
He said, “Earlier, people felt their demands were ignored by politicians, which filled them with disinterest towards voting. But thanks to social media, candidates have become far more accessible and have filled enthusiasm in people to vote.”
Likewise, social organisation My Dream Colaba (MDC), along with Colaba Advanced Locality Management (CALM) and local activists, ran the ‘Vote karega Colaba’ initiative, with door-to-door campaigns and public meetings to raise awareness. Their open letter to residents highlighted the apathy of voters – the affluent parts of Colaba have consistently registered a turnout below 25%, compared to numbers in slum pockets. “We have also linked senior citizens with volunteers who have vehicles to help them to the polling booths,” said Hemdev.
In Colaba, the rich fear losing their tenancy rights as their buildings stand on leased land from the government like the Bombay Port Trust and collector’s land. They also want increased security in their areas and reduction of slums.
In mid-city, Wadala, a coordinator has been assigned to each of the 65 buildings under the Wadala Citizens’ Forum, said Anil Jain, secretary of the forum. The group has helped people get their voter slips in the last 15 days, and “are hoping for a 100% turnout”. “Even those who were indifferent to the idea have changed their minds, as we hand-held them through the process,” he added.
Not far behind, is the Versova constituency with a sizable number of HNIs. They are woeful about infrastructure projects stuck for decades, which has increased traffic burden. They also seek basic services like a fire brigade and post office in the constituency, and better last mile connectivity to the metro through rickshaws, who refuse to ply for short distances.
“We have been on a WhatsApp group with members of managing committees of housing societies, encouraging people to step out. We have also disseminated videos and messages pleading with citizens to increase the turnout to at least 50%, from 42% in 2019,” said Karan Jotwani, co-founder of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens’ Association (ALOCA). “This time around, as voting day is not close to the weekend and political parties have worked hard to register voters, we are hoping the count will go up by 5%.”
Beset with traffic congestion and hawkers’ menace, Bandra West, having logged a marginally better showing at 44% in 2019, has seen a much more concerted effort by citizens. “We have been up and about helping people to register for voting, and in the last five days have received over 1,300 calls for help,” said Dylan, nephew of a former corporator, who built a software to pull out voting details and location of polling booths. “In many cases, the classification of names are awry – many people have been linked to the wrong spouse or parent. The ECI has not been helpful.”
Likewise, Trivankumar Karnani, founder of Mumbai North Central District Forum, covering the western sides of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz, said flying squads were set out to help people register their names in electoral rolls, details of voting process were provided on soft copies and volunteers made door-to-door visits to draw people out. “We are also providing cars for senior citizens and keeping water bottles and first aid kits on standby at polling booths,” said Karnani.
Karan D’Lima, associated with NGO AGNI, has a team of 30 volunteers who have “covered over 3,000 homes in buildings and slums, urging people to express their democratic right”.
“On Wednesday too, we will approach housing societies to check if residents have voted,” he said. Naazish Shah, a Bandra volunteer, said, “I have been telling the youth to take charge of their country and make informed decisions.”
Jagdeep Chhokar, founding member and trustee of the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), however, cast a shadow on citizens’ efforts, as he said, “This section of society doesn’t feel the need to participate in the democratic process, because they are indifferent to the outcome of the election. They have the money to buy influence and feel it is an affront to stand in queue with commoners to wait for their turn.”

Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.
Stay updated with all the Breaking News and Latest News from Mumbai. Click here for comprehensive coverage of top Cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, and more across India along with Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News.