Maharashtra polls: In Mumbai, slums are most sought after but least benefitted
Issues facing Mumbai’s slum communities extend beyond attention to basic needs. Drug abuse and rising crime rates are towering concerns
MUMBAI: It is a well-documented fact that half the city’s population of 21.6 million live in slums which form a lucrative vote bank. Every election year, candidates of political parties promise to provide basic amenities such as sanitation, water and roads, to slum dwellers. And once the season is past, the promises fade away, leaving large communities disillusioned and feeling unwanted.

In the 2019 state assembly election, around 40-lakh of the one crore registered voters in Mumbai came from slums; the major pockets being Dharavi, Ganpat Patil Nagar (Borivali-Dahisar belt), Shivaji Nagar (Govandi), Chembur East, Bandra East, Malvani (Malad) and Cheeta Camp, which significantly contributed to voter turnout.
Mumtaz Shaikh, a social worker from Anushaktinagar constituency, said, “During the last election, we were promised water connections within 100 days, but nobody has seen a single drop of water.”
Issues facing Mumbai’s slum communities extend beyond attention to basic needs. Drug abuse and rising crime rates are towering concerns, often compounded by a lack of access to quality education. Shaikh pointed out absence of educational infrastructure curbs opportunities for the youth, steering them away from employment and leading them into crime. “No one wants solve this issue,” she said.
Professor Mrudul Nile, from the department of political science and public policy, University of Mumbai, said, “Slum residents are among the most active participants in elections, largely due to their population density. Many work as temporary gig workers for political parties and are often paid to show support in public meetings.”
He added, “Every time, they hope things will change. Until this cycle of ‘hope and promise’ is broken they will continue to remain mere tools in the machinery of electoral politics.”
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Constituency: Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar
Slums: Shivaji Nagar, Sanjay Nagar
Need of the hour: Skill centre, employment
Voters (2019): Around 30,500
Turnout (2019): 62%
Nearly 80% of the youth in Shivaji Nagar struggle to complete basic education for want of facilities and therefore remain unemployed. This, local resident Anwari Khan, a housewife, said has led to a scale-up in crime and overuse of drugs in the area. “Despite several complaints with the authorities, no one takes a serious note or action,” she said.
Khan, who actively participates in welfare initiatives for the area, threw light on pressures the community faces from local politicians. “Some tell us to vote for them, with a warning that others aiming for ‘Hindu rashtra’ will drive us out. Yet others check if we have received money from the Ladki Bahin scheme. If we say yes, they register our name and voter ID and ask for our vote,” she said.
Another homemaker Heera Shaikh, from Sanjay Nagar, recalled the unfulfilled promises by political leaders, such as water supply and cleanliness, in the last election. “Water connections were provided, but distribution is unequal. They removed all the dustbins from the area, and hence BMC does not pick up garbage,” she said.
Pollution from the Deonar dumping ground and a medical waste disposal plant, close by, has led to many health-related problems. Protests and complaints have fallen on deaf ears, said Shakil Siddique. “There is an increase in the number of TB and asthma patients,” he said.
The combined impact of inadequate sanitation, pollution and unmet political promises leaves the residents of Shivaji Nagar and Sanjay Nagar doomed in a cycle of health risks, crime and neglected infrastructure.
Constituency: Anushakti Nagar
Slums: Cheeta Camp, Mahatma Phule Nagar, Bharat Nagar
Need of the hour: Sanitation, road
Voters (2019): Around 28,000
Turnout (2019): 69%
The area is a diverse mix of government colonies, residential towers and slum communities. “Leaders visit us once in five years, making promises they do not keep,” said Chitra Nikalje, a resident of Cheeta Camp, drawing attention to poor roads and lack of bus services. “As roads are bad, BEST buses do not run here, forcing us to walk 1.5kms to the nearest bus stand” she added.
One of the pressing issues in the slum colonies is stalled rehabilitation of slum dwellers, arising from conflict between builders and government. “Many of us have been waiting for homes under the SRA scheme for seven to eight years,” she said.
The area has also suffered substantial loss of green cover due to metro construction. Naseem Shaikh, another resident, said, “Despite several requests, streetlights on the newly constructed road in Cheeta Camp, which connects directly to Ghatkopar, continue to be non-functional. Lack of lighting has led to at least one accident, some fatal, on this road every week.”
Other unresolved issues include unreliable water supply, poor drainage system, and the lack of doctors and facilities at Shahaji Hospital. These challenges, residents said, impair quality of life in the area.
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Constituency: Chembur
Slums: Vashi Naka, Sharad Nagar, Islampura, Ekta Nagar, Ghatla Village
Need of the hour: Water, sanitation
Voters (2019): Around 24,000
Turnout (2019): 60%
Residents of Ekta Nagar, on P L Lokhande Marg, are facing severe sanitation issues, as common toilets have been shut due to lack of water connections. Over 1,000 women share four toilets, while 1100 men share just two. Gayatri Howal, a resident, said, “After we tabled our demands, common washrooms were built, but they lack water and light. Only one is functioning with dirty running water, despite us paying for use.”
Similar problems are beset in Vashi Naka. Sandhya Yadav said, “We can’t build additional wash rooms due to a railway line nearby. The few we have are inadequate, while open drainage lines cause many accidents, especially among children and seniors.” She added, local leaders’ promises in the past turned out to be mere lip service.
Usha Deshmukh, a resident of Sahyadri Nagar, said, when nullahs are cleaned, “the refuse is dumped by the drains which ends up back there, leading to floods in the monsoons”.
Also, as they receive water once in 10 days, they are compelled to buy water at ₹3 for a pot, delivered every four days. “Our MLA promised us better water connection during the last election; but nothing has changed,” she said.
Political representatives have also failed to keep promises of slum rehabilitation, supporting unemployed youth, improving health facilities at Shatabdi Hospital, and constructing a railway station at Vashi Naka.
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Constituency: Bandra East
Slums: Behrampada, Bharat Nagar, Kher Wadi
Need of the hour: Redevelopment
Voters (2019): Around 32,000
Turnout (2019): 63%
In the dark alleyways of Behrampada slum in Vandre East, just beside the railway station, residents have been waiting for redevelopment for 40 years. “The talks started since the time of my parents; one of them is dead now,” said Shakeel Sheikh, a resident and internet cable operator in the area. “I doubt it will happen in my lifetime.”
In another slum, Bharat Nagar, sitting NCP MLA Zeeshan Siddiqui had opposed an SRA project’s survey earlier this year on the grounds it would displace the 4,000 residents in high rise towers -- a point under investigation by police as a possible reason for the murder of his father, Baba Siddiqui.
“We were promised redevelopment in the last state elections. As our entire lives, work and schools are here, we don’t want to be caught in a situation where we vacate our homes and never get new ones. If we’re given transit accommodation and a guarantee, we will agree,” said Atia Begum.
Other significant issues are: rampant drug use, poor education, cleanliness, and dirty and poor water supply. Promises were parroted to alleviate the woes during the last elections, but remain unresolved.
Constituency: Malad West
Slums: Malvani, Ambujwadi
Need of the hour: Slum recognition and roads
Voters (2019): Around 22,000
Turnout (2019): 61%
Ambujwadi is one of the densest slum pockets of Malvani. Chief demand of the area is to declare it a ‘slum’. In the absence of that, demolition drives are ordered intermittently, including during monsoons, despite a government ban.
“As Ambujwadi is not technically characterized as a slum, many services are denied. As a result, residents live in perpetual threat of demolitions,” said Vikas Waghmare. “This was promised in the last state elections too, but has not materialized.”
Road and infrastructure are other pressing issues. Existing roads are poorly maintained and frequent traffic snarls make navigating through them very time consuming. “Parts have no bus connectivity, and share rickshaw drivers run a cartel,” Waghmare added. “Building proper roads and bridges is a big demand.”
Akhilesh Rao, a social worker from the area, said, “road concretisation in the area, started a month ago, is running at a snail’s pace”.
Waghmare added the area also sees rampant drug use by both children and young adults. “Every politician talks about a drug-free Malvani, but there has been little change over the years – there is no pressure on police to act either,” he said.

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