Maharashtra elections 2024: Uddhav and Shinde Sena battle it out in Andheri East

The Andheri East Assembly constituency is expected to see a close contest between Shiv Sena UBT candidate and sitting MLA Rutuja Latke against Murji Patel who is being fielded by the Shiv Sena Eknath Shinde The former came to represent the Assembly seat after emerging victorious in a 2022 byelection following the passing of her husband twotime MLA Ramesh LatkeHome to a largely middleclass population the constituency has upscale buildings and slum pockets as well as corporate offices According to citizens traffic management encroached footpaths water scarcity poor roads and slum redevelopment are major issuesKunal Chaudhari an Andheri East resident said ldquoTraffic jams are a huge problem and we hope the MLA we elect can solve it This constituency has many residential areas and offices so we expect the public transportation situation to be improved Also roads here should be made potholefreerdquoRutuja Latke Shiv Sena UBTHow do you plan to address issues citizens face in your constituency if reelectedTraffic is one of the important issues In some places we have been able to solve this but there are places where people are still being inconvenienced Solving the traffic issue by involving government agencies will be a priority I intend to provide free highquality education to students of BMC schools in Andheri and to modernise these facilitiesWhat steps would you take to improve womenrsquos safetyEnsuring the safety of women and children is one of my top priorities I will work to improve the lighting in public areas that are currently dark and unsafe ensuring streets are welllit for everyone Additionally I will advocate for establishing dedicated womenrsquos police chowkies in key locations across Andheri East to enhance security I will introduce selfemployment schemes and set up selfdefence training centres to empower women providing resources and skills to help women feel safer and more independentWhat are your plans to address water scarcitySeveral areas in my constituency are facing water issues Providing adequate water to people in slum pockets and other spots is something that I will try to solve on priority as water is one of the most important needs The water supply issue in Subhash Nagar will be taken up when I get electedWhat measures will you implement to tackle pollutionYes these challenges are serious and as an MLA I will make sure that the open spaces including the RG recreation ground plots and playgrounds of the BMC remain as they are Efforts will also be taken to increase the green cover of my constituency by taking suggestions from experts Efforts will be taken to make sure that the open spaces remain unencroachedHow do you plan to approach the redevelopment of slumsMany SRA projects are stuck in my constituency and once elected I will personally look into the issue and resolve them so that slum dwellers get their houses on timeMurji Patel Shiv Sena Eknath ShindeHow do you plan to address the issues citizens face in your constituencyIn the past 10 years no work has been done for the people The biggest issue in this constituency is traffic congestion There is no government hospital in this constituency Those staying in slums face water shortages When I get elected my focus will be to bring a government hospital which will help the common man I will also work with the departments concerned to address the issue of traffic jamsHow do you plan to address the issue of womenrsquos safetyWe will ensure that more CCTV cameras are installed across the constituency Illuminating dark spots and footpaths will also be on my priority list We willalso demand more CCTV cameras in schools and classrooms for the safety of childrenWhat steps will you take to address water scarcityIn Andheri East I have personally worked to solve the issue of water scarcity The Subhash Nagar slum has around 16000 to 17000 residents and we have solved their water issues Similarly we will work to solve such issues in other areasClimate change and air pollution are major concernshellipI will take steps to ensure that the open spaces in my area are maintained properly and initiatives like plantation are implemented to increase the green coverRedevelopment of slums is a major issue How do you plan to address itThe government should take the work of slum redevelopment into its own hands and agencies like MHADA CIDCO and MMRDA should play an important role in the implementation of the slum redevelopment schemes without involving private builders