With the assembly election campaign kicking off full-fledged on Tuesday, the political spotlight in Airoli, Belapur, Uran, and Panvel is expected to focus on two critical issues—converting CIDCO-acquired lands to freehold and regularizing necessary constructions. These concerns are likely to shape the narrative across all four constituencies as the race heats up.
In a pre-election move, the state government announced decisions to resolve both issues just before the Model Code of Conduct was enforced. However, project-affected communities and their leaders have raised concerns over the lack of clarity in these resolutions. As a result, the unresolved freehold demand and the regularization of essential constructions are expected to dominate election discourse.
The demand for freehold property rights, particularly on CIDCO-acquired lands, is an ongoing issue not only in Navi Mumbai but also in cities like Nashik, Nanded, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Despite the CIDCO Board of Directors reapproving the decision on October 1, 2024, questions remain about the effective resolution of this matter, given the history of incomplete decisions concerning CIDCO land.
Another major issue is the regularization of homes built out of necessity by project-affected people in Navi Mumbai. While many elections have been fought over this concern, the government’s previous order to regularize such constructions remains unenforced. Just ahead of the elections, a fresh decision has been issued, but its timely implementation remains in doubt.
These two issues—freehold land conversion and the regularization of essential constructions—are expected to influence a large section of the voter base, increasing pressure on candidates to address them effectively.
Political analysts suggest that these concerns, reignited by leaders just ahead of the elections, could sway voters significantly. While CIDCO had made a formal decision in 2018 to convert leasehold land into freehold, the proposal failed to generate the expected public response, as the lease period was only extended from 60 to 90 years. With the freehold issue re-emerging as a key election concern, it remains to be seen whether this time, the promises will result in actual solutions.
The countdown to the elections is now on, with campaigners expected to aggressively address these key issues in the coming days.