City: Mumbai

Name: Rajan Vichare Constituency: Thane Rajan Baburao Vichare, 63, has been an intrinsic part of Thane becoming a political stronghold of the Shiv Sena. Vichare rose from the party ranks from being a local unit leader (shakha pramukh) of the Shiv Sena to corporator for four terms in the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) between 1992 and 2014. He also served as the mayor of Thane from 2007 to 2010.  Subsequently, he represented Thane in the legislature and in Parliament. He has been a member of Parliament (MP) from Thane for two terms in 2014 and 2019 and is now fighting…

Voting in the largest democracy in the world holds great responsibility. The moment you press a button on the ballot, you become a part of those who choose to take the onus of moving their country forward. This election will be my first as a voter. In a democracy every citizen has a say in the governance of the nation. But 1.44 billion people cannot all be directly a part of the government. So we choose a few people, who will represent us and our interests— expecting them to meet the needs of the many. As a child, my knowledge about…

Varsha Gaikwad, a four-time MLA from the Dharavi assembly constituency, is entering national-level electoral politics as she contests the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai North Central constituency. She belongs to the Indian National Congress (INC) and has been given a ticket for this constituency from the INDIA bloc alliance. She belongs to an Ambedkarite Buddhist family. She says that her background in teaching has prepared her to address large audiences with ease. Her father Eknath Gaikwad was also a politician from the INC and was a two-time MP, once from the Mumbai North Central constituency and the second time…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is trying to commercially sell sewage treated water. As of now, the city generates about 2190 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage or black water, of which it manages to recycle 22.65 MLD of water fit for reuse for non-potable use. Citizen Matters examines the status of this project and how it could help the city with its water requirements. What is the BMC doing with its sewage waste treated water? In December 2023, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) invited bids for commercial use of 15.8 MLD of treated sewage wastewater generated from its…

With the Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, citizen groups of Mumbai North East Parliamentary constituency in Govandi have been organising awareness camps for voters. These efforts are for those in the area, who feel disconnected from voting, or feel that they do not know enough. They have been organised by groups, which have established themselves in the area through years of social service related activities, including Govandi Citizens Welfare Forum, Govandi New Sangam Welfare Society, Al-Khidmat vyapari Associations and many more. By conducting election awareness programs and voting camps, these organisations aim to increase voter turnout, empower citizens…

“Just, I mean, I don’t feel like voting. This politics and all. I didn’t even apply, I think I was late,” rattled one of my students when I asked if they had all registered to vote as most of them had turned 18 one or two years ago.  This was pretty much the chorus. They spoke about how it was too late when they tried to register, how it was so difficult (which was promptly rejected by those who had done it), how they were in a different city, how they were not interested in politics and how it was…

Everyone in Mumbai is eager to know who their MP (Member of Parliament) will be in the next few weeks. And so am I. I'm Anmol Tiwari I'm from Natraj Chawl, Kranti Nagar, Kandivali East Mumbai. Kranti Nagar is located on the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivali, on the slope of a hill. While in other parts of Mumbai, when one looks out of their window, they see the ocean, highrises, green spaces and more, in Kranti Nagar, I open my windows to see narrow lanes, congested houses, a mix of greenery and garbage.  As…

Two die, third critical after falling into manhole Mumbai continues to see tragic accidents related to manual scavenging and deadly manholes. Two people died and a third is critical after falling into a 30-foot-deep manhole in Malad. The manhole was connected to a drain pipe on the site of a private under-construction building at Pimpripada in Malad east. Raju, who was a worker at the site, fell in and after that two nearby residents, Aqib and Javed jumped to save him. When none of them came out, the locals called the fire brigade to rescue them. According to the preliminary…

Any pet parent will tell you that dogs need a safe space where they can be free and get their requisite daily exercise. Leashed walks can fulfil only a part of their exercise requirement. Especially dogs belonging to larger breeds are more energetic and need to run free to expend their energy and to grow and develop well. This is especially difficult in a city like Mumbai where traffic concerns and the territorial nature of street dogs makes it impossible for pet parents to let their dogs off the leash even for a moment. My German Shepherd herself has developed…

Even as summer heat sets new records in Mumbai, the city is gearing for elections on May 20 amidst chaotic political developments. As leaders jump the political parties, citizens are focussing on the official manifestos released by major political parties. An election manifesto is a statement put out by a political party or a candidate defining their goals. It reflects the social issues that they promise to tackle should they be elected. As such this document becomes a compass for voters who can decide in which direction they would like to see the country go.  Urban civic groups, having the…