Mumbai: After losing to his opponent’s father in the 2017 BMC election, Shiv Sena candidate Raju Pednekar is leaving nothing to chance this time in his campaign against Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Zeeshan Multani.Pednekar’s previous victory as a bow-and-arrow candidate in the Muslim-dominated Ward No 62 in Jogeshwari West came at the eleventh hour. His then opponent, Changez Multani (Zeeshan’s father), won as an independent candidate in this erstwhile OBC-reserved seat, which is now open.Multani was later disqualified after his caste certificate was declared invalid. As runner-up, Pednekar seized the opportunity, petitioned the court to be declared the winner, and succeeded without having to face a bypoll.“I want to take every community along with me,” he said as he rushed door to door through the narrow lanes of slums and chawls in the area. He has vowed to resolve traffic issues, heavy road encroachment in the area, and a garden in Vaishali Nagar.Just before this walk began, children in white kurtas and skull caps were seen donning Eknath Shinde cut-out masks and watching a nukkad natak arranged outside Pednekar’s office, with messaging about voting beyond community lines.During a 2- to 3-hour-long padyatra, voters garlanded him with flowers, elders showered him with blessings, and some newcomers to the area left with a polite smile and a handshake.Some of his Muslim voters said electing him on a Sena (Shinde) ticket is part of a compromise they are willing to make for a familiar face who helps them navigate everyday struggles. Akhtar Sheikh, a resident of one of the chawls in the area, said, “We know Zeeshan as Changez’s son; they also worked in the area. But as a corporator, Pednekar came rushing for us.” Ayub Bagad, a resident, said it does not matter which party Pednekar belongs to. “He brought a school here, a hospital here. He even helped us during emergencies at private hospitals.”Another resident, Syed Mehdi Raza, added that Pednekar facilitated peaceful co-existence (bhaichara) among communities.Even as his voters recalled instances of Pednekar visiting their homes on Eid, he said, “In today’s time, Sena UBT is dependent on the votes of one community. I am asking for votes from all communities.”Pednekar’s exit from Sena UBT is fairly recent. In the Versova assembly constituency, he was eyeing the ticket that the party gave to Haroon Khan, whose win with over 65,000 votes marked the Sena’s first elected Muslim candidate in 25 years. Pednekar stood as an independent candidate then and secured close to 7,000 votes.
