MUMBAI, Jan. 12 -- Cleaner air, usable open spaces and overdue redevelopment have emerged as the key political flashpoints in Mumbai's north-western suburbs of Malad and Kandivali, where civic polls are being fought across a sharply mixed landscape of high-rises, ageing housing colonies and dense slum pockets. On Sunday, candidates from rival parties fanned out across neighbourhoods, meeting residents and business groups. For the BJP, Union minister Piyush Goyal pitched an ambitious vision: cluster redevelopment of the vast Malvani slums and the gradual shifting of ready-mix cement (RMC) plants out of city limits to curb construction-related pollution. Goyal visited Adarsh Layout in Malad-Kandivali West, a 25-year-old residential cluster of nearly 50 buildings, where he campaigned for BJP candidate Yogesh Verma and unveiled the party's 'Uttam Mumbai' redevelopment plan. Stressing the need for cleaner construction practices, Goyal said the BJP was pushing for precast and steel construction and would hold discussions with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on incentives for builders adopting eco-friendly methods. "Construction pollution is a serious civic issue. Protect every single tree," he said. Residents raised everyday concerns, cratered roads, traffic congestion, shrinking green cover and open grounds turning into dump yards. Many complained that playgrounds are frequently taken over for cultural and political events, leaving children with no space to play. Goyal responded by suggesting a policy that reserves sports grounds strictly for sports, while cultural and religious events are shifted to designated venues with BMC and police permissions. Verma said he wanted to replicate Indore's cleanliness model in his ward, with better waste management, more trees and technology-led pollution control. Across Kandivali West, Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Ashish Arun Patil struck a local chord, describing the area as his "own house". He flagged road safety for senior citizens, sanitation and water supply as pressing issues, and floated plans to ease traffic between Patel Nagar and Mahavir Nagar. Patil also spoke of reviving a long-neglected nullah, once a river, and redeveloping it with public amenities, including boating. The BJP, however, blamed the Sena (UBT) for years of civic neglect while controlling the BMC. Goyal said new sewage treatment plants would ensure only treated water flows into the sea, and promised support for hutment dwellers through builder-led and self-redevelopment models. "Large cluster redevelopment is planned in areas like Malvani to improve housing conditions," he said. Malvani, spread over more than 600 acres, is already on the government's redevelopment radar, with Fadnavis chairing a 'Malvani Makeover' plan in December last year. Similar demands are rising from Poisar in Kandivali, another large slum pocket. From Ward 23 in Kandivali East, independent candidate Pratap Sundvesa, a jeweller, said residents were grappling with poor drainage, broken roads and parking chaos. Poisar, he added, is not just a slum cluster but also a major hub for Rajasthani imitation jewellery traders....