After years of delay, the BMC elections have been declared. But, will it really make any difference to Mumbaikars' lives? Will our roads become better? Will our public transport improve? Will the quality
of our lives become better?
The first BMC elections were held in 1968. And 57 years later, has our city improved? Or has it deteriorated? Sadly, in Mumbai, the only purpose of holding elections is to decide who can plunder and loot the city. The focus is on who can get into power. Who can rule and who can loot. With negligible focus on what can be done to make our city better.
That power corrupts is an age-old story. Theoretically, in a democratic system one party rules (and is therefore most susceptible to corruption) and the other parties keep a watch to stop such corruption. But, in Mumbai, after BMC elections, has anyone seen the ‘losing candidate or the losing party’ keep a watch over anything? They simply hide themselves for years on end; and only surface again at next election time to make a claim that they will make difference if elected.
Mumbai has been without elections for 4 long years. Has it really made a difference to our lives? Large parts of Mumbai are run by MMRDA. Even larger parts of MMR (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) are run by MMRDA. The largest infra projects in Mumbai are built by MMRDA. And MMRDA doesn’t have Corporators. It doesn’t have elections. Yet it runs.
So, do elections really make a difference to Mumbai? Will the next elected body make a difference? Or will they only speed up the plunder of our city, in the name of making a difference?
Realistically, elections only gives an excuse to divide citizens. To make Mumbaikars fight amongst themselves over who will be good or bad for our city. To make Mumbaikars ignore everything else that is wrong with our city. To give an excuse for some to say “if my preferred candidates had won, we wouldn’t be in this mess”. To give an excuse to others to say “imagine the mess we would be in if my preferred candidate had lost”.
Mumbai’s BMC elections are all about imagination. An illusion fed to us that our city will become better. But good cities are not built on such illusions. They are built on honesty. On true grit and determination to do some good. And, sadly such qualities are always missing in the BMC House.
So, for all the Mumbaikars out there- hoping against hope that the next elections will be different – may we suggest that we not rely on what our politicians will do for us- but speak up and demand a better city irrespective of our political views and preferences.
Mumbai’s good future does not lie in the hands of the next BMC House. It lies in our voice. So, my fellow Mumbaikars. Speak up! Demand better roads. Demand better public transport. Demand less loot. Demand a better Mumbai. Afterall, no politician is going to do this for us. Only we can. As a collective voice. A voice devoid of political preferences. A voice demanding only one thing. A better Mumbai!
(The author is a noted non-political activist)
