MUMBAI, Jan. 8 -- The traditionally Marathi-dominated Lalbaug-Parel (Ward 204), a former mill area that has seen massive gentrification over the past two decades, has for long been considered an undivided Shiv Sena citadel. However, the party's internal split in 2022 has dramatically altered the political landscape, turning the ward into a keenly watched battleground ahead of the BMC elections. Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde's aggressive electoral strategy has sharpened the contest, particularly after Anil Kokil, a staunch Shiv Sena (UBT) loyalist and former corporator, crossed over at the eleventh hour on December 30 after being denied a ticket. His induction into the Shiv Sena has transformed the ward into a pivotal fight between the rival Sena factions-Kokil is pitted against Kiran Tawde, the area's Sena (UBT) shakha pramukh. Since 2000, Lalbaug-Parel has undergone a major transformation into an elite residential-business hub. Luxury high-rises and commercial complexes dwarfing the workers' chawls in the area, have transformed its skyline as well as its demographic profile. The steady influx of Gujaratis into the area's high-rises has resulted in the community accounting for nearly 26% of the ward's nearly 48,000 voters while Marathi voters are about 48%. Several Marathi families have moved out to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, slightly altering the traditional voter base. Kokil said he was unaware that he would be switching sides until 12.30 pm on December 30. "We were assured by Uddhavsaheb that he would support all those corporators who stood by him during the mass defection," he said. "Sachin Padwal, Shraddha Jadhav, Kishori Pednekar and others were given tickets. I, a former corporator who worked for so many years, wasn't, and I found this out from TV. Then I got an upfront offer to contest from the Shiv Sena; they withdrew their own candidate for me." Ironically, Kokil and his now-opponent Kiran Tawde were comrades in arms till Kokil switched sides. "I worked shoulder to shoulder with Kokil since I am the president of the Ganesh Galli mandal for the past ten years," said Tawde. Campaigning at the Shapoorji Pallonji compound slum behind KEM Hospital, Kokil highlighted civic issues that, according to him, have remained unresolved for years. The former BEST committee chairman brought up the tribulations faced by the employees of the public transport body. "BEST employees who risked their lives to work during COVID have not got compensation," he said. "Retired employees have not got their gratuity. Their homes are in a dilapidated condition and their children are not getting BEST jobs. I will put forth all these proposals in the BMC. I will also look into the 1,000 electric buses scheduled for BEST, which haven't arrived yet." In Parel, the Sena (UBT)'s Kiran Tawde campaigned across the 55-year-old BEST colony's 16 buildings with a posse of party workers amid loud firecrackers and loudspeaker announcements. "The major concern here is the redevelopment of old chawls and the BMC school which was demolished four years ago," he said. "It needs to be rebuilt and have Classes XI and XII."...