MUMBAI: From a cotton mill hub to an upwardly mobile business centre, Worli has undergone a huge transformation in 50-odd years. So did the politics, as seen in the electoral debut of Shiv Sena scion Aaditya Thackeray.
“Hatav Lungi, Bajav Pungi” was the slogan coined by Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in late 1960s when the party thrived on the issue of local pride and local candidates getting preference in government jobs.
Today, his grandson Aaditya speaks in regional languages to attract voters.
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Once a CPI(M) stronghold, Worli was synonymous with strikes at cotton mills in 1980s. It then remained with the Sena for almost three decades till NCP’s Sachin Ahir won in 2009. In 2014, Sena regained the constituency and won over Ahir a few months ago to ensure a soft landing for Aaditya.
Today, Worli overlooks the iconic Bandra-Worli sea link and houses landmarks such as the Nehru Centre and the Mahalaxmi racecourse. The transformation is complete — a fishing settlement that changed into a plush cosmopolitan area over the years. Mumbai’s iconic chawls also dominate this constituency.
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As for the people, mill workers preserved their culture with pride. A huge chunk of Padmashali people from Telangana forms almost 10 per cent of voters in Worli. Here Sena campaign rallies are conducted in chaste Telugu. Aaditya’s recent Mundu avatar was seen here addressing the Padmashalis, who are now into IT, education and other professions.
“Worli is a mini-Maharashtra. A mix of chawls, slums, towers cutting across castes and communities. The foundation stone for redevelopment of chawls was laid, but nothing happened. I want to make the constituency a model on how development should be done,” Aaditya said.
That vision reflects from his posters — ‘Kem Cho Worli’ in Gujarati to Urdu banners in green background. There are posters even in Telugu. In a way, the party too seems widening its base if Worli is considered as an example.