The Shiv Sena’s (UBT) election manifesto, released by Uddhav Thackeray, has promised to scrap the existing 50% limit on reservations and stop the project to redevelop the slum neighbourhood of Dharavi in Mumbai, which is being carried out by the Adani Group. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has promised to scrap the existing 50% limit on reservations and stop the project to redevelop the slum neighbourhood of Dharavi in Mumbai, which is being carried out by the Adani Group. These are among the highlights of the election manifesto released by party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday (November 7, 2024).
“We will scrap the Dharavi Redevelopment Project given to Adani. Employment is the most important issue for youth due to rising unemployment. Once we come to power, we will build an International Finance Centre at Dharavi to generate employment opportunity,” Mr. Thackeray said, during the release of the manifesto, termed a ‘Vachan Nama’, at his residence Matoshree.
Saying that the Dharavi redevelopment project would hurt Mumbai, Mr. Thackeray mooted a new housing policy to keep pace with the city’s rapid urbanisation. The focus will be on affordable housing for “sons of the soil” in urban, semi-urban, and rural localities, he said. If elected, the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance will also scrap the planned cluster development of Koliwadas and Goathans — the fishing community’s homes and villages — and only take up further development after obtaining consent from local residents.
MVA manifesto awaited
Mr. Thackeray noted that most of his party’s poll promises are part of the MVA manifesto, but said that certain points needed special attention. A joint manifesto of the MVA, which comprises the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP), will be released by the weekend, he added.
“I am going out of Mumbai for campaigning, so at the forthcoming press conference of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Mumbai, if I am not here, kindly do not say that the alliance has broken. We have fulfilled all our promises so far, whether in the [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] BMC or the State,” he said.
Women-centric schemes
The Sena UBT chief vowed to generate jobs, saying that job fairs would be held every three months in each district. He also promised free education for all students in the State, both male and female.
Free bus travel for women, the recruitment of 18,000 women in the State police force, and the establishment of all-women police stations across Maharashtra were some of the women-centric schemes mentioned in the manifesto. In his speech, Mr. Thackeray also referred to the government’s Ladki Bahin Yojana which gives a monthly allowance of ₹1,500 to poor women but did not clarify if the popular scheme would be continued under an MVA-led government.
Other poll promises include the return of the old pension scheme and the stabilisation of the prices of essential items. Mr. Thackeray also proposes to build a temple for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in every district.
Maharashtra heads to the polls on November 20, with vote counting three days later.
Published – November 07, 2024 08:53 pm IST