The Versova Vidhan Sabha constituency is located in Mumbai Suburban district and is part of the Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency. Bharati Lavekar, 58, served as a BJP MLA for two consecutive terms and has now been nominated for a third.
With 2.82 lakh voters, Versova covers areas including Seven Bungalows, Yari Road, Versova, Lokhandwala, Oshiwara, Veera Desai Road, and parts of Jogeshwari (West). It is a cosmopolitan area, with a significant minority and North Indian population, and includes the Koli community. The constituency comprises a mix of affluent, upper-middle-class, middle-class, and economically weaker sections of society.
Versova was established during the 2008 delimitation of the Vile Parle constituency. It includes portions of the former Vile Parle and Amboli constituencies. In 2009, Congress candidate Baldev Khosa was elected, but the seat shifted to the BJP in 2014 when Lavekar was elected.
In 2019, Lavekar secured 41,057 votes, defeating Congress candidate Baldev Khosa by 5,186 votes.
Lavekar, a PhD holder, received the ‘Ahilyabai Holkar’ award from the Maharashtra government in 2000-2001, and the ‘Maharashtra Ratna’ award in 2005 for her distinguished social work. She was one of two Indians selected by the American government to study the legislative elections in the US in 2006.
According to a report by the Praja Foundation, which assesses the performance of elected representatives, Lavekar ranked 14th overall and maintained a clean criminal record with top attendance. However, she ranked 16th in terms of the quantity and quality of questions raised in the assembly.
Versova faces several unresolved issues. The long-awaited Versova-Madh bridge has been planned for 35 years, yet construction has not begun, with estimated costs rising from Rs400 crore to Rs4,000 crore. Line 6 of the metro project has completed 80% of its civil work, but the construction of the yard remains stalled. Other pending projects include a post office near Taraporewala Tower (planned since 1990) and a fire brigade station at Chitrakoot Grounds, reserved in the 1991 development plan but not yet built.
Dhaval Shah, director of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Organisation, stated, “Road and bridge delays contribute to significant traffic congestion in the constituency. The Oshiwara River bridge project, started in 2018, remains incomplete. The Thackeray flyover extension has faced delays near Country Club, and the Yari Road to SVP Nagar flyover has been in the works for decades. The Mrinal Tai flyover extension is delayed by three years, and the Versova-Bandra Sea Link project has been delayed by four years, leading to cost escalation and high tolls for citizens.”
Predicting the outcome in this constituency is challenging. Political experts say that in the recent Lok Sabha election, Versova gave a lead of 21,000 votes to the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate. People are dissatisfied with Lavekar’s work, which could negatively impact BJP’s votes.
“The party declared my name late because it took time to decide who would receive this seat among the Mahayuti allies,” Lavekar said. “My party informed me much earlier to start working. Over the last 10 years, I have completed several major projects. The Savitribai Phule garden, a playground, a bridge work completed and the Versova-Madh bridge tender has been issued. A modern jetty worth Rs. 400 crore has been approved, which will benefit the Koli community.”
“The Oshiwara maternity hospital is under construction, and nine metro stations in the Versova area, along with the coastal road, are also being developed. The Versova-Bandra Sea Link project is 26% complete,” she added.
Versova has 1.1 lakh minority voters. To counter the BJP and the AIMIM, Uddhav Thackeray has nominated a loyal Shiv Sena (UBT) member, Haroon Khan, as candidate. Khan stated, “Voters should not think of me as just a Muslim candidate. I want to work for every community and focus on developmental work. In our constituency, several infrastructure projects, such as resolving issues on the JVLR, metro works, and pending SRA projects, are overdue. Good schools and playgrounds are needed in our constituency. This fight is between the BJP and the MVA.”
Raju Pednekar from the UBT has rebelled and filed as an independent. There is talk that Shiv Sainiks, along with other aspirants from the constituency, are upset because Thackeray has nominated Khan.
MNS has announced Sandesh Desai as its candidate, and the AIMIM has fielded Raiees Lashkaria.
Lashkaria stated, “In Versova, not a single infrastructure project has been completed in the past 10 years. This reflects a total failure on the part of the BJP MLA. Both the central and state governments have failed to address infrastructure needs in our area. With 40% of the constituency being from minority communities, I see a strong chance for the AIMIM to win this seat.”
Desai said, “In our constituency, the Koliwadas’ FSI (floor space index) and boundary issues are major concerns. The MLA has made promises but has not delivered any results. Our constituency includes affluent, middle, and poor classes, and high school fees with limited Right to Education quota seats are significant issues. Another concern is the lack of a BMC hospital; Cooper Hospital in Juhu is inadequate for our needs. We also lack public grounds as the Andheri Sports Complex charges fees, and traffic remains a persistent problem. People are disappointed with Lavekar’s performance.”
KEY CONCERNS
Versova-Madh connectivity
Metro yard construction
Fire brigade station requirement
Delayed bridge work over the Oshiwara River
Incomplete Thackeray flyover extension
Yari Road to SVP Nagar flyover delay
Mrinal Tai flyover extension delays
Versova-Bandra Sea Link project delay
