A major contest is unfolding in electoral ward no. 12 in Borivali East’s R Central ward, where residents of Ariana Residency at Devipada have collectively decided that the party which resolves their long-standing water crisis will receive 1300 votes from the housing society. The residents allege that they have been receiving insufficient and horrible-smelling water from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the past four years, compelling them to spend nearly R16,000 per day on water from private tankers.

At the housing society’s gates, posters have also been put up, stating, “We are paying taxes, but we are begging for water. First solve our water issue, and then ask for votes.”