Mumbai: Christian groups in Mumbai are angry with the major political parties for ignoring the community during the allocation of seats in the Maharashtra assembly polls scheduled later this month.
Much of the anger is directed against the Congress Party, especially because the Archbishop of Bombay, Oswald Cardinal Gracias had recommended Janet D'Souza, former General Secretary of the All India Mahila Congress, and former vice-chairman of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission, as a candidate from Ghatkopar (West) or Kalina.
There is no Christian candidate from the Congress even though the community, estimated to be 4-5% of the city's population, has traditionally supported the party, said community groups. In some assembly constituencies like Bandra (West) and Kalina, Christian voters are estimated to be between 8% and 10%.
"I am not from any political group but I think Christians are kept in the party only for ground-level work and are ignored when it comes to nominations as candidates," said Sunita Banis, Bombay High Court advocate and Christian activist, who has wrote an 'open letter' to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other senior Congress Party leaders, expressing her community's grievances.
Rev. D D Tribhuvan, president of the Christian Development Association, said in a statement that 'an important community has been ignored' and added that the Congress Party's claim of secularism is false because it has not given adequate representation to the community.
Even before the elections were announced, Mumbai's Christians had been lobbying with the Congress Party for seats. Dolphy D'Souza, president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, said that his group met Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. "Political parties, not just the Congress, have never given recognition or political space to Christians," said D'Souza. "Every political party looks at two aspects while allotting seats - winnability and muscle power which has now been replaced by money power. Christians do not have these."
In September, Cardinal Gracias wrote to Sonia Gandhi, recommending D'Souza. He said, 'I wholeheartedly recommend her nomination and hope that she will have an opportunity to prove herself.'
Community groups are angry they were ignored despite their support and recommendations from religious leaders. "We have our long-pending demands like the land reservation for cemeteries and community centres. It is difficult to get these demands fulfilled if we do not have a representative," said Melwyn Fernandes of the Association of Concerned Christians.
D'Souza said that there is a need for diversity in political spaces. "The Congress has given the space to other groups like the Scheduled Castes, but Christians have been bypassed," D'Souza added.
Janet D'Souza, now Senior Vice President of the Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee, said she is personally comfortable with the decision made by her party. "But people have called me to say they are upset that a community candidate has not got a nomination despite their unconditional support to the party," said D'Souza whose mother, Celine D'Silva, served as Ghatkopar MLA between 1985 and 1990 and later as an MLC and minister. Annie Shekhar, who was Colaba MLA between 2004 and 2014, was the last legislator from the community. Community groups are hoping that efforts will be made to get Christians as MLCs after the elections.
George Abraham, Vice President of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee and the Congress candidate from Kalina in the 2019 assembly elections, said, "This is the first time there is no Christian candidate from the Congress, but this is because we are fighting as part of an alliance. The Congress is contesting only 10-11 of the 36 seats in Mumbai. So it was difficult to accommodate everyone."
