BMC Election: 35,000 Juhu Residents Announce Voting Boycott, Protest Banners Put Up At Society Gates
BMC Election: 35,000 Juhu Residents Announce Voting Boycott, Protest Banners Put Up At Society Gates
Mumbai: Even as the administration is making efforts to encourage maximum voter turnout for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, around 35,000 residents from the Juhu area have announced a complete boycott of voting. Citizens living in nearly 200 residential buildings in Juhu have taken this decision. Several banners declaring the voting boycott have been put up at the entrances of housing societies in the Juhu Ruia Park and Karachi Society areas.
Juhu Voter Boycott: Nearly 35,000 People to Abstain from Voting
Residents claim that the presence of a military radar in the Juhu area has adversely affected their locality. For the past 35 years, redevelopment of around 200 dilapidated buildings and two large slum clusters has remained stalled. Due to the inability to carry out redevelopment, nearly 35,000 people are reportedly forced to live under constant fear in these dangerous buildings.
Residents from the 200 buildings and the two slum areas stated that they have repeatedly raised their issues with the central government’s defence department. However, despite consistent follow-ups, they claim they have received no resolution.
What Do the Protest Banners Say?
According to the banners displayed in the area, the SR0150 law is outdated and has led to the destruction of homes. Under a British-era law of 1939 (implemented in 1976), residents allege they are being evicted from their legally owned homes. The banners state that around 200 buildings and two large slums are at risk, resulting in injustice to nearly 35,000 citizens. The message urges voters to “think a hundred times before stepping out to vote” and warns that false promises will no longer be accepted.
Residents further claimed that during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, political leaders had promised to resolve their issues after the polls. However, no assistance was provided post-elections, prompting residents to boycott voting in the upcoming municipal elections.
MNS Candidate Assures Support After Boycott Announcement
After boycott banners appeared across Juhu Ruia Park and Karachi Society areas, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate from Ward No. 68, Sandesh Desai, visited the residents.
During the interaction, Desai assured residents that after the elections, he would arrange meetings with both the Thackeray brothers and actively follow up on the issue to seek a suitable resolution.
