"Negotiated spaces" for representation in Mumbai: ward committees, advanced locality management and the politics of middle- class activism

In Mumbai, new forms of cooperation between local government and
citizens seek to improve local representation and the quality of services. This paper
examines which residents are represented or excluded in these arrangements,
the mandates and processes by which the arrangements are negotiated and the
outcomes. Local representation through elected councillors is compared with
that through voluntary neighbourhood groups (Advanced Locality Management
groups, or ALMs), which work with the executive wing of local government. ALMs,
involving middle-class groups, work on environmental, security and upgrading
issues. They are expanding their claim to both political and public space, often
excluding "unwanted" people. Elected councillors are channels mainly for lowincome
groups, addressing issues relevant to municipal services but also responding
to personal grievances and concerns. Confl ict between political representatives
and their parties and ALMs is not unusual. Both of these "negotiated spaces"
give citizens some way of holding government to account, although middle-class
citizens are fi nding greater scope for action.