Key Points
But as Indias financial capital prepares to vote in the countrys massive general election, many residents say they want a fairer share of its wealth with better education the key to opportunity.. ..
The disparity concerns Rajani Bhat, a 42-year-old Mumbai resident with short, spiky hair and an assertive voice.. . Im worried about the protection of women, especially small girls, she says from a street dotted with jewelry and clothes stores.. ..
Its especially common in Mumbais infamous slums, which were depicted in the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.. . Kalpita Shinde, a 43-year-old government worker, also highlights the need for Indias next government to provide its people with greater upward mobility.. ..
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are widely expected to win a third straight five-year term this election, extending his popular but controversial rule into a second decade.. ..
Education and employment aside, several other issues loom in the minds of Mumbais voters especially longstanding religious tensions that have spiraled under Modis tenure.. . Modi and his BJP have been accused of driving religious polarization with Hindu-nationalist policies, giving rise to a wave of Islamophobia and deadly communal clashes..
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