Mumbai: A decade ago, when tribal leader Vivek Pandit campaigned for votes against the powerful Thakur family in Vasai and advocated for a brave future generation, he hadn’t anticipated that his own daughter Sneha Dube-Pandit would embody that same fearless spirit.
The 38-year-old activist-lawyer and mother of two boys, Sneha emerged victorious against incumbent Bahujan Vikas Aghadi MLA Hitendra Thakur (63) in a close contest, winning the Vasai assembly seat by 3,153 votes and securing 35% of over two lakh votes in the recently concluded polls. “For the newer generation, the Thakurs are business persons into white-collar jobs. Born and raised in Vasai and having seen my parents fight against the goondaism unleashed in Vasai since the 90s, has made me tough,” said the newly elected BJP MLA, fondly known as ‘Sonu Tai’.
Her union with the Dube family of Nalasopara — her husband Premnath alias Navin Dube (47) is the nephew of Suresh Dube, a builder who was shot dead by five to six assailants in broad daylight at Nalasopara railway station on Oct 9, 1989 — strengthened her resolve to fight against the land mafia. The presence of Jayendra ‘Bhai’ Thakur (71), a former TADA detenue, who was acquitted in the Dube murder case last year, in the election rallies of his younger brother last month, gave momentum to her campaign. “When I got the ticket, I began my campaign without a road map. When the Thakur brothers came out to campaign, my father told me now this election is about winning,” said Sneha.
Bhai Thakur was acquitted of the charges by the TADA court in Pune in May 2023.
Though new to politics, Sneha has participated in marches and rallies since childhood. She recalled taking to the streets with her parents as a 10-year-old fighting for ‘Green Vasai’ and against land grabbing. She recalls the 1991 Vadrai silver case — when a vessel carrying contraband silver capsized near Vadrai village in Palghar — involving the Dawood Ibrahim gang. She recollects her opposition to incorporating 29 villages in the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation in 2009. Her pursuit of justice led her to study law at Rizvi college. She served on Lok Adalat for three years and headed the tribal organisation Shramjeevi Sanghtana, established by her parents Vivek and Vidyullata.
