THE monsoon can be a real spoiler. And this time around in Mumbai its dampening effect has been compounded. A late surge in the south-western monsoon kept voters away from polling booths and Mumbai recorded an abysmally low turnout for both the Lok Sabha and the assembly polls. As usual, there was hardly any enthusiasm in south Mumbai, particularly the ‘posh’ areas of Malabar Hill, Cuffe Parade and Marine Drive where the VVVIPs either stayed indoors or were off for a long weekend. The ‘cream’ of Mumbai society, which included certain high-society columnists who had suddenly become aware of India’s democratic traditions, could not have cared less for the polls. But it was not just the elections. The rains affected life in other ways too. There was hardly anyone on the first Sunday at the Bandra Mount Mary Fair which goes on for eight days. A poor voter turnout, however, did not mean a decline in the stocks of the high-profile candidates in Mumbai. They were easily recognised by the people for the causes they had been fighting for. Sunil Dutt, the Congress þcandidate from Mumbai (northwest), was identified with slum dwellers and cancer patients, Murli Deora from Mumbai (south) with big business and computers and Ram Naik, the BJP candidate from Mumbai (north), for his obsession with the 5.47 Triple Fast for Dombivili or 11.21 Harbour local from Andheri. A new entrant to the Lok Sabha polls is the energetic MLA from Mulund, Kirit Somaiya, who is known for organising dusk-to-dawn disco dandiya shows during Navratri. Somaiya had gone on fast to defy local laws (which forbid playing of loudspeakers after 11 pm). He emphasised his righteousness by taking with him BJP stalwart L.K. Advani to some of the noisier disco dandiya shows around 1 am. If Somaiya comes to Delhi, the people may be in for some sleepless nights!
