MUMBAI: To steal a march over the Shiv Sena ahead of the Mumbai civic elections, the city BJP unit despatched its corporators to Malwan in Konkan to offer prayers at the annual Bharadi Devi fair on Thursday. Attendance at the annual fair of the over four century-old deity is an integral part of the Sena's tradition, said analysts.
BJP politicians Vinod Tawde and Ashish Shelar, both belong to Konkan, led the bandwagon to the sea-swept coastal town. “From Lord Ram to Bharadi Devi we've come a long way,” said a party corporator. Observers said the BJP is keen to bridge the gap with the Sena’s Lalbaug-Parel-Sewri-Byculla vote-bank, which boasts a sizeable chunk of blue-collar workers who hail from Malwan.
“We prayed for the good health of the people of Maharashtra, and CM Uddhav Thackeray,” said Tawde. Shelar urged the Goddess to end the 25 year-long “corrupt” rule in the Mumbai municipal body. The duo were joined by BJP corporators from Mumbai who have a Konkan connection.
An elaborate ritual seeking the Devi's grace--'navas' in Marathi, or 'mannat'--is a key feature of the popular fair. Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar sought divine intervention for Sena's success in the upcoming BMC elections. “Keep the Sena's saffron flag flying atop the BMC headquarters,” Pednekar said while participating in the ritual. She was accompanied by a contingent of Sena corporators. They also appealed to the Goddess to free the city from the grip of the pandemic.
The Sena boasts a long link with the annual congregation which, veterans said, combines faith with family outings. In fact, the Bharadi Devi myth grew in direct proportion to the Sena's rise under Bal Thackeray's leadership.
Narayan Rane, a staunch Devi devotee, ex-Sainik and now a Union minister, was the Sena's poster-boy when Malwan shifted its political loyalties from the erstwhile Socialist Party to the Sena.
“Nearly 40 Sena corporators belong to Malwan. BJP has to win over the Malwanis in Mumbai if it wants to enhance its tally in the BMC. The Mumbaikar Malwanis keep Konkan's money order economy going,” said a city Mumbai BJP functionary. Construction activity and brisk land transactions have given rise to the builder-politician nexus in villages dotting the coastline, said old-timers.
BJP is certainly keen on playing the Rane card while seeking Bharadi Devi's benediction, said analysts.
