Small scale industries on the outskirts of Mumbai have a lot to hope for, from the polls on Monday especially on the issues that have been given little attention so far.

Manoj Jain who owns a textile manufacturing unit in the Bhiwandi industrial belt under the name of wonder synthetics says " We are facing a huge problem because of slowdown, there are so many theories on why it is happening but, no one really knows," Jain added. He went on to say, "The new Government that comes into power should focus on creating demand for us." He, however, went on to say that he would prefer to go with the flow and vote for BJP. "I don't see any other alternative," he added.

" I don't want my vote to go waste, I don't see any other alternative and so I will vote for the BJP," Sanjay Hirani, partner at S.S Enterprises said. He manufactures rubber and is a part of the Vasai industrial belt. He spoke about the electricity problems but focused more on needing a better and well thought out GST policy.

Asif of M A engineering company that manufactures auto parts echoes with the sentiment on electricity. He said, "Electricity is a huge problem, it goes away for a minimum of an hour a day. This negatively impacts my business by 15 percent upward."

As a General Secretary of Vasai Industries Manufacturers Association, Dhilen Vora has worked towards communicating with the state, the issues of the small scale industries.

Regarding the current Government, he says, " The policies of the BJP coming from the center are really good. GST is doing well and that is what will be translating to a vote share in the upcoming elections. Maharashtra Government in and of itself is not performing that well." He hopes that the next Government would listen to the problems they face with regard to the power supply. " The rate of power is very high. It is around 50 percent higher than in other states. Power interruption is very frequent and that takes a toll on business." Most industrial areas get their power supply from the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.

Vora's counterpart from Thane had a similar statement to make. Sandeep Parekh, Vice-president of Thane Small Industries Association said, " The problems of the economy are problems of the center. on the state level, we are having certain problems. It is with power, water, ESIS (Employee State Insurance Scheme) and the MATHADI Act. Power outages are a huge problem, they have collected money under ESIS but the hospitals that they provide for our workers are in a pathetic condition."

In spite of the problems that are persisting, majorly those in the small scale industries are keen on voting for BJP, many because of the absence of an alternative

(The writer is an intern with Business Line Mumbai Bureau)