Congress tries to tap the Konkani voters in the city, courtesy MLA Nitesh Rane

With just around 50 days to go for the BMC Polls, every party to trying to woo different caste voter base. This time around, the Congress is looking to woo the Konkani voter base as well. Riding high on its recent victories in local body polls in Konkan, especially in Sindhudurg, the Congress has decided to use this opportunity to try and influence their brethren in Mumbai to consider options other than the Sena. A former Sena leader and now Congress heavyweight, Narayan Rane and his son, Member of the Legislative Assembly Nitesh Rane, who hail from Sindhudurg, will tap the Konkani community in Mumbai to convince them to vote for the Congress.

 

“It is a fact that Konkani voters form the backbone of Sena’s support in Mumbai. Who better than us would know it? No other party has ever even tried to tap the discontent among these voters against the Sena. They too have been traditionally voting for this party. But now is the time to break the monopoly,” said Nitesh Rane, Congress MLA from Konkan.

 

The party has chalked out areas in central, eastern and parts of western Mumbai which have a higher percentage of voters orginally from Konkan for its get-togethers. These meetings will be addressed by influential people such as a Zilla Parishad president, a district cooperative bank chairman, or a Panchayat Samiti member from rural Konkan, and not just by Congress leaders from Mumbai.

 

 

Mumbai Congress President Sanajay Nirupam, too, said the party was working on this front.

 

“The Congress is a party for all. We believe in the unity of Mumbaikars for its betterment. I am sure the people will understand our message and come to us,” Mr. Nirupam said.