Mumbai: Andheri East, constituency number 166, is located in Mumbai's Suburban district and a part of the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. This election has heightened interest with a Shiv Sena (UBT faction) vs Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) contest, reflecting a Marathi vs Gujarati divide.
The UBT faction has again fielded sitting MLA Rutuja Latke, 47, while the Shinde faction backs Murji Patel, 52, a controversial defector from the BJP. Members of several SRA project in the MIDC area of Andheri (east) have complained against him to the police, but since the latter has not registered FIRs, they have moved the Bombay high court.
With approximately 2.84 lakh voters, Andheri East encompasses residential, industrial, and commercial zones, including areas such as Gundavali, Marol, MIDC, Military Road, Pump House, Church Road, Mlpa Dongri, Upadhye Nagar, Sat Baigh, and Filterpada. This constituency is cosmopolitan, with a significant Marathi and Gujarati population, and a socio-economic range spanning affluent to lower-income groups.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rutuja Latke | File Photo
Formed in 2009, Andheri East saw its inaugural victory by Congress candidate Suresh Shetty over Shiv Sena's Ramesh Latke by a narrow margin of 5,000 votes. However, Ramesh Latke won comfortably in both 2014 and 2019.
After his sudden death from a heart attack in Dubai two years ago, a by-election was held in 2022 where Rutuja Latke, Ramesh Latke’s widow, won after BJP withdrew its candidate Murji Patel. She secured 66,530 votes, defeating two independent candidates.
According to a Praja Foundation report, MLA Rutuja Latke has a clean criminal record and is ranked 24th overall in performance. While she has high attendance, she ranked lower, 29th, in the quality and quantity of questions raised in the assembly.
Shiv Sena (Shinde Faction) Murji Patel | File Photo
Latke holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Before her political career, she served as a clerk in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation for over a decade and was not particularly active in politics. Despite rumours of her joining the Shinde faction, she dispelled them by publicly supporting Uddhav Thackeray.
Murji Patel, on the other hand, has moved from Congress to BJP and finally to the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. He joined the BJP in 2016 and contested independently in the 2019 assembly elections. He is currently promoting the metro network passing through the Andheri East area as part of his efforts.
In February 2024, Murji Patel was booked by Shahu Nagar police for allegedly submitting fake documents to obtain an Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate, which he purportedly presented to the Election Commission during the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. He is a former corporator from a ward in Andheri East.
Meanwhile, Swikriti Sharma, the wife of former controversial encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, has withdrawn her candidacy from the Andheri East constituency. Sharma withdrew her nomination after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promised her an MLC seat if the party came back to power.
Andheri East faces significant civic issues, including traffic congestion, lack of road connectivity, lack of public vegetable markets, chronic water shortages, and pollution. The Gokhale bridge project, crucial for Andheri, has faced significant delays, causing traffic congestion. Another problem is Metro 3 does not connect with other operating metros in Andheri.
Andheri Highway bridge traffic junction of Andheri Kurla Road plus the next junction connecting Gokhale bridge both ends of Gundavali Metro station mismanagement and non-development of the free space underneath.
The Metro has no easy access for people from the other side of the highway. Andheri Kurla to Marol no connectivity, no connectivity to Sahar or Airport. The Mithi River, which flows through the constituency, is heavily polluted, exacerbated by extensive construction, leading to air pollution and environmental sustainability challenges.
The constituency also suffers from poor solid waste management and inadequate green spaces. Resident Atul Vaidya remarks, “The BMC ward office itself is surrounded by encroachments and waste, setting a poor example of administrative weakness. The Metro 3 has to be connected with other operating metros."
Gurpreet Singh Uppal, a resident of Andheri East, stated, "Our Lodha Eternis society, which includes around 450 families, is facing a water shortage. In the Bangarwadi area across from us, people burn garbage, causing pollution and creating a fire hazard. Traffic congestion and parking issues are also persistent. In Andheri West, encroachment is widespread, leaving no empty footpaths for walking."
