Mumbai independent banks on votes
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7991994.stm Version 0 of 1. By Prachi Pinglay BBC News, Mumbai Meera Sanyal wants to "give something back" to society The Mumbai (Bombay) attacks of last November sharpened the issue of politics in the minds of many in India's financial capital. For one upper middle-class, middle-aged, successful career and family woman it meant taking the ultimate step - running for election. Meera Sanyal has taken a sabbatical from her job as the chairperson and country executive of ABN Amro bank (now RBS). She will contest the election as an independent candidate. Her constituency witnessed the 26/11 attacks, which killed more than 170 people. It is also the area - usually scoffed at for being indifferent to politics - that saw thousands pour on to the streets to speak out against politicians during a peace rally. Surprised Ms. Sanyal, 47, says: "Of course 26/11 was a catalyst. It really makes you stop in your track. We keep thinking about these issues and discussing as to what can be done. But the real question is, 'Does anything actually happen?'" The Mumbai attacks concentrated political minds in the city She says her family was initially surprised by her candidacy. "We come from an idealistic family. We have got a lot from the society so it is time we give something back," she says. Ms Sanyal's brother, Dr Manik G Hiranandani, has temporarily turned his clinic into her campaign office. It's in a typical old South Mumbai building and buzzes with meetings with the media, the general public and volunteers. Her husband, Ashish Sanyal, the CEO of a retail company, is her campaign manager. Ms Sanyal says the development of Mumbai, or the lack of it rather, has been on her mind for some time. "If you talk about India, I think it has grown and progressed. But if you take Mumbai's case, I don't think so," she says, highlighting the problems of over-burdened public transport and an erratic education system. Security is also important. Her campaign tagline is "Let's get Mumbai back on track". Due to the slower economic growth rate, millions of jobs will be lost. And yet there is no mention of an economic crisis in anyone's manifesto Meera Sanyal She also focuses on the 60% of Mumbai's population who live in the slums. "When was the last time you paid for a bucket of water?" she asks. Boundary changes have affected the formerly affluent South Mumbai constituency considerably. It has now merged with pockets of central Mumbai, more than doubling the number of eligible voters from 620,431 in 2004 to 1,515,065 in 2009. Shiv Sena, a regionalist party standing for the rights of locals, is extremely popular in this area. Recently, when the party protested against the appointment of a lawyer for the sole surviving Mumbai attacks suspect, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, hundreds of residents supported it. The present MP, Milind Deora of Congress, was thought a popular choice among South Mumbai residents. But with Shiv Sena putting up a current MP from an adjoining constituency, Mohan Rawle, the battle has become fierce. Another candidate, Arun Gawli, faces several criminal cases in court and withdrew in support of Milind Deora. Raj Thackeray, the leader of the recently formed MNS party, is fielding Bala Nandgaonkar, who was formerly with Shiv Sena and is expected to be a serious competitor. Ms Sanyal recognises it will be a tough fight with an "array of stalwarts in their respective fields" but she still thinks she has an edge. "They lack ideas. They haven't defined the problem, they don't know how to solve it and there is no plan. "Due to the slower economic growth rate, millions of jobs will be lost. And yet there is no mention of an economic crisis in anyone's manifesto. There is no plan to address that." Media savvy Ms Sanyal denies that her association with the urban elite will affect her chances. She says she understands the problems of the poor. "I know how hard it is to get a job. It took me six months and 200 applications before I got my first job. The other candidates have never had to try," she says. Her campaign is media savvy; she is on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Her website is updated with her campaign diary and schedules. Her volunteers include college students who are helping her during their summer break. The results of elections in India have rarely been affected by successful online campaigns, but Ms Sanyal has a simple riposte to the question of her chances. "I'll win," she says. |