INFORMATIVE

Meghala Kumari is a software engineer working in Chennai. But this is not what her life was always like. As a child in a poor family, she had to work part time to support her education even as a minor. All through her early years, she was completely ignorant about anything called a community certificate, a document that could have made things easy for her. "If I had my community certificate, I could have availed the concession in the annual fees, besides getting other benefits such as free school bag and uniform," says Meghala, who got the certificate only during…

Mumbai North-East was formed prior to the 1967 elections. The region is a symbol of the city's dichotomous development. Even though it is reputed for prime real estate and some important infrastructure projects, this is also the region where massive rehabilitation projects are being pursued to compensate those who have given up their land and homes. The constituency consists of Mulund, Vikhroli, Bhandup West, Ghatkopar West, Ghatkopar East and Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar assembly constituencies. In 2014, Mumbai North East had 16,68,357 registered electors. The winner, Kirit Somaiya got 5,25,285 or 60.9 percent of the votes, while the runner-up, Sanjay Dina…

Rahul Ramesh Shewale is with the Shiv Sena Party and is the incumbent Member of Parliament from Mumbai South Central constituency. He defeated the sitting MP Eknath Gaikwad from the Congress in the 2014 lok Sabha polls, with a margin of 1,38,180 votes. While Shewale secured 381008 votes Gaikwad got 242828 votes. The stage this time is set for yet another battle between Shewale and Gaikwad, and 28 other contestants from the South Central Constituency. First-time MP in 2014, Rahul had been Chairman of the standing committee of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for four terms till 2014. He is an active…

Mumbai South constituency is relatively new, having been constituted from a Presidential notification on delimitation on February 2008. This Lok Sabha constituency has six Vidhan Sabha legislative assembly segments, comprising Worli, Shivadi, Byculla, Malabar Hill, Mumbadevi and Colaba. Mumbai South before delimitation was dominated by Gujaratis, Marwaris and some minority vote pockets. However, after delimitation, it is almost seen to be a microcosm of the city's diversity. It is called 'mini Mumbai', as it reflects the diversity of the main city. Since 1996, Mumbai South has been firmly turning the tide in favour of the party that would rule the…

Mumbai North West constituency is comprised of six assembly constituencies- Jogeshwari East, Dindoshi, Goregaon, Varsova, Andheri West, Andheri East.The constituency has diverse demographics having, in addition to the large base of Marathi voters, over 3.5 lakh North Indian voters and 1.2 lakh South Indian voters. Over 3 lakh Muslim voters also make for a a strong presence in the constituency. The Election Commission of India( ECI) has accepted the nominations of 21 candidates representing various political parties or standing independently.While one candidate has withdrawn his candidacy, the body has rejected 5 applications. [flexiblemap src="http://data.opencity.in/Data/Maharashatra-Parliament-Constituency-Mumbai-North-West-Map-V-1.kml" width="100%" height="400px" ] Note – Map…

This summer, apartment communities in Bellandur have struggled with water scarcity as their borewells dried up and private tankers cut down supply. In a recent workshop organised by the RWA network Bellandur Development Forum, the communities here decided to take initiative themselves to improve groundwater levels in the area. Several communities have started digging recharge wells in their own premises, at their own cost. One of these is Mantri Espana. Seven recharge wells are being dug in the premises of this apartment complex. The complex has had a rooftop rainwater harvesting (RWH) system for many years. This, along with their…

Mumbai North Central constituency is comprised of six assembly constituencies: Vile Parle, Chandivali, Kurla, Kalina, Vandre East, Vandre West. The constituency is very diverse, comprising areas such as Vile Parle and Bandra West where the upper class elite including several Bollywood actors reside, and on the other hand areas such as Kurla and Chandivali which have large slum communities. The constituency is knownfor its low voter turnout, having had a meagre 39.52 % voters turn up for the 2009 elections, and 48.66 % in the 2014 elections. The nominations of 20 candidates from different political parties or standing independently have…

Poonam Mahajan, alias Poonam Vajendla Rao, is with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from the Mumbai North Central constituency, and president of the BJP youth wing. She is the daughter of the late BJP politician Pramod Mahajan. A firebrand leader, she is credited with having infused a lot of energy into the youth wing of the ruling party. She has a very strong social media presence, and her social media campaign is reportedly being led by Madhukeshwar Desai, vice president of BJYM and great grandson of Morarji Desai. She contested elections for…

Mumbai North constituency is comprised of seven assembly constituencies: Borivali, Dhaisar, Magathane, Kandivali East, Charkop, and Malad West. The constituency has seen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) come to power twice each in the last four terms. This is the constituency where Bollywood actor Govinda, representing the INC, defeated veteran politician and current governor of Uttar Pradesh Ram Naik. The INC is attempting the same formula for these elections by fielding Bollywood actress Urmila Mathondkar from the constituency. The Election Commission of India ( ECI ) has accepted nominations of 18 candidates; and rejected…

Gopal Chinnaya Shetty became an MP for the first time in 2014, when he won the Mumbai North constituency as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The constituency has previously seen the likes of veteran politicians such as Ram Naik (present governor of Uttar Pradesh ) and Bollywood actor Govinda being elected. Shetty's win in 2014 marked a win for a BJP candidate after two terms, the previous two elections having been won by Congress candidates. Shetty has served the party in various capacities. He is a three-time Corporator and a two-time MLA from Borivali constituency. In 2014,…