Mihir replaces four-time MLA in Mulund, a BJP stronghold

Confident of victory, Mihir Kotecha promises access roads, petrol/CNG pump in the east and more open spaces

The BJP appears confident as it seems to have taken bold decisions in fielding candidates for the assembly election, scheduled to take place on Monday. The party has fielded new faces in two constituencies, considered BJP stronghold.

In Mulund, the BJP has replaced four-time MLA Sardar Tara Singh with Mihir Kotecha, 47, who contested against Congress's Kalidas Kolambkar in the 2014 assembly election but lost. However, he is confident of winning the Mulund seat, where he is in fray against 74-year-old Govind Singh of Congress and 43-year-old Harshala Chavan of MNS.

Posters of Tara Singh are pasted in all the societies in Mulund, but Kotecha is unfazed by his popularity. "I have four priorities; open access roads at Mulund East, get a petrol/CNG pump in the east so that vehicles won't have to go all the way to the west, and make a slum-free Mulund with more playgrounds and open spaces in the west," he told mid-day. "I have been a Mulund boy and know what the problems are here," he added.

Meanwhile, Govind Singh believes the Congress will win the seat because the people in Mulund want change and are fed up of the BJP. With a total population of 6 lakh, Mulund is dominated by Maharashtrians, followed by Gujaratis, Jains, Punjabis and South Indians. In the 2014 assembly election, Tara Singh had defeated Congress's Charan Singh Sapra by over 70,000 votes.

Another BJP stronghold, Ghatkopar East, also has a new candidate. BJP's Parag Shah, richest candidate in the East constituency with declared assets R500.6 crore, has replaced Prakash Mehta — a six-time MLA from the seat.

Meanwhile, sitting BJP MLA Ram Kadam is contesting from Ghatkopar West. He is fighting against MNS's Ganesh Chukkal and Congress's Anand Shukla. Kadam was elected the MLA from Ghatkopar West in 2009 when he had joined the MNS. He later switched to the BJP.

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