MUMBAI, Nov. 14 -- Addressing a gathering of North Indians on Tuesday, Kisan Kathore, the BJP legislator of Ambernath-Badlapur, announced that two of the candidates being fielded by the party in the coming civic polls would be North Indians. The community, which is the second largest in the Mumbai metropolitan region (MMR) after Marathi-speaking people, is being aggressively wooed by the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena even as the Thackeray cousins continue to assert the Marathi manoos agenda. In the last two decades, the number of North Indians has increased significantly in MMR, particularly in areas near Mumbai such as Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar and Badlapur-Ambernath on account of the availability of cheap housing and employment. As the community is apprehensive about the Thackeray cousins, the ruling Mahayuti, as a counter-strategy, is going all out to milk the situation. Significantly, it was the Congress that began the wooing of North Indian voters in Mumbai and surrounding areas and also gave them representation. However, in the past decade or so, the North Indian voter has largely shifted allegiance to the BJP. In the last assembly elections, the BJP fielded Sneha Dube-Pandit-daughter of tribal rights activist Vivek Pandit-as a candidate against the then MLA Hitendra Thakur in Vasai. Sneha defeated Thakur, who had been controlling the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) area for over three decades. According to local BJP leaders, the surname Dube also played a role in the BJP candidate's victory, as the North Indian population, particularly from UP, Bihar and Jharkhand, is now around 25% of the population of Vasai-Virar. Alongside, the population of Gujarati-Rajasthani people has also spiralled to over 10%. Earlier, voters supported the Thakur camp but the changing demographics are now helping the BJP. Manoj Patil, a BJP leader from Vasai-Virar, admitted that the change in demography was driving the party's political strategy. "The number of North Indian voters has increased after 2015 due to rapid migration, and today there are an estimated 7,50,000 in VVCMC," he said "They supported us in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. In fact, all political parties will have to consider this demographic change in the VVCMC elections." Kisan Kathore, the BJP MLA from Murbad, who promised two civic seats to North Indian candidates in his rally, also promised an Uttar Bhartiya Bhavan or North Indian community centre in Badlapur. Significantly, Ambernath-Badlapur was considered an area of Marathi-speaking people till a few years ago but now, according to political party estimates, the Badlapur municipal corporation has around 1,75,00 voters, of whom around 25,000 are North Indians. The change in demography and its political significance was also noticed when deputy CM Eknath Shinde's son and Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde delivered his speech in Hindi at a gathering in Ambernath. NCP leader Ashish Damle accepted that the changing demographics were influencing the political decisions of all parties. "The NCP is not fielding any North Indian candidate but we are in alliance with the BJP, which is going to field two," he said. "In the last 10 years, the North Indian population has increased here due to affordable housing and good health and education facilities." In Mira-Bhayandar, the demographic change is even more stunning. According to estimates, of the 1.5 million people living there, over 1.1 million, or more than 80%, are North Indians. Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who recently declared that he needed to speak in Hindi in Mira-Bhayander, admitted the influence of population on political strategy. "In the last 10 years, the MMR population has increased, and North Indians are in significant numbers," he said. "Not just us but every political party will have to consider the changing demographics while deciding candidates or strategy."...