MUMBAI, Jan. 9 -- Stalled Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, which have left residents languishing in transit camps for decades, have emerged as the dominant issue afflicting Mumbai's Ward 202 comprising Sewri, Bhoiwada and parts of Parel. The ward has around 50,000 voters, over 78% of whom are Marathi-speaking according to recent party surveys. It is traditionally an impregnable undivided Shiv Sena bastion, but recent resentment against local parties, for allegedly colluding with unscrupulous builders and stalling SRA projects, has significantly altered the electoral landscape. The simmering discontent isn't just among voters. It has manifested in a split within the Shiv Sena (UBT), with shakha pramukh Vijay Indulkar entering the fray as an independent after being denied a ticket. Indulkar is pitted against six-time corporator and former mayor Shraddha Jadhav. The Sena (UBT) rebel said his fight was not against the party but against the candidate chosen for the ward. "If I win, I will return to the Sena (UBT) to drive home the point that grassroots workers of 36 years deserve a chance," he said. Claiming that 120 party office-bearers had resigned in his support, Indulkar said that nearly 95% of Shiv Sainiks were with him. "My campaigning is done by Sainiks while Jadhav has to hire people from the MNS for her campaigning," he said. "Party surveys have indicated negative feedback against her." Campaigning later in the evening at Chalisma Tower, an SRA building in Parel village bordering Sewri, Indulkar reiterated that mishandling of SRA projects was the ward's biggest issue. "People have not got homes or rent after moving out," he claimed. "Redeveloped buildings haven't received corpus funds for 10 years. A horizontal slum has now become vertical." He also pointed to the dilapidated condition of chawls, non-cessed and pagdi buildings, and said that residents of Bhoiwada village had been languishing in transit camps for nearly 30 years. Shraddha Jadhav dismissed Indulkar's allegations against her, asserting her long-standing connection with voters. "I canvass every day," she said. "Every house knows me and is happy. I have been elected four times in this ward. Would people vote for me if I hadn't worked here?" Jadhav said that several slum pockets such as Vageshwari, Baradevi, Ganesh Nagar and Sewri Market were demanding redevelopment, and acknowledged civic issues. "There is a water issue where additional water line connections need to be given," she said. Meanwhile 29-year-old Parth Bavkar, the BJP's youngest candidate, is attempting to strike a chord with Gen-Z voters. On Thursday, he was campaigning in Bhoiwada gaon, directly across Jadhav's party office. His primary focus, he reiterated, was rehousing residents stuck in transit camps. "Fifth-generation residents are still living in these camps," he said. "Their plight brings tears to the eyes." Highlighting his credentials, Bavkar said he had worked in the ward since he was 22. "At 24, I was the youngest BJP shakha pramukh, a post usually given after 35," he said. "I worked tirelessly at the ground level and connected with Gen Z through social networking. During the pandemic, I helped with quarantine work. I have worked in slums and high-rises alike." Bavkar too pointed a finger at Jadhav's allegedly poor performance. "If this six-time corporator had worked for the ward, there wouldn't have been a split in the party," he said. Exemplifying the plight of the ward's residents is Kamlesh Bansode, a resident of Bhoiwada Gaon. "I am a fourth-generation resident still awaiting my rightful home," he said. "Over 17 years have passed but our redevelopment project hasn't moved. Every election brings empty promises in exchange for votes, but no progress is made on our projects. Political parties are clearly hand in glove with the builder lobby."...