Has Mumbai's iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse run its course?

A deafening roar fills the packed Mumbai stadium as the game nears its end. The entire atmosphere is charged up. The who's who of the city are in the stands. The scenes are, however, not from a cricket match being played at the Wankhede Stadium but the Mumbai Derby, one of the biggest horse racing events that is held annually at Mumbai's Mahalaxmi Racecourse.

Apart from cricket, if there is one sport that has legions of enthusiasts and brings the city's top socialites, industrialists and Bollywood stars together, it is horse racing. The click of the turnstiles, gates slamming open, and the thunder of hooves as powerful horses gallop down the track at high speeds all make for an adrenaline-pumping atmosphere.

However, this 140-year-old tradition may soon be a thing of the past as the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), which manages Mumbai's iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse, is currently engaged in a turf war with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over its 225-acre ground.

The club's 99-year lease on the ground expired back in 2013. Since then, the existence of the racecourse, located in one of Mumbai's primest locations, has hanged fire. Recently, the BMC and the Maharashtra government renewed plans of setting up a theme park in the area and relocating the racecourse.

The BMC's move has faced stiff resistance from a section of the RWITC, politicians -- including the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Aadtiya Thackeray -- and activists, who have called it the only "green lung" of Mumbai.

What makes the Mahalaxmi Racecourse area such a coveted place in Mumbai? What is the controversy all about? We explain the intricate details related to the issue.

First, here is a brief history of how the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which once hosted foreign leaders such as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and the King of Saudi Arabia, came into existence.

HOW THE RACECOURSE CAME UP IN MAHALAXMI

Like cricket, horse racing was introduced in India by the British. It was back in 1777 that India got its first racecourse at Guindy in Chennai (then Madras).

Years later, in 1802, four British officials -- Captain G Hall, Sir Charles Forbes, P Hadow and A Campbell -- established the Bombay Turf Club and chose Byculla as the site for horseracing. To this day, annual races are held named after them to commemorate their contribution to racing in Mumbai.

Later, industrialist Cusrow N Wadia, who headed the Bombay Dyeing textile company, proposed shifting the racecourse from Byculla to a 225-acre plot in Mahalaxmi, which was then a marshland.

Situated next to the Arabian Sea and boasting of one of the most scenic views in Mumbai, Wadia wanted to transform the area into a showpiece. He gave an interest-free loan, reportedly of Rs 60 lakh, to the Western India Turf Club to build a racecourse and grandstands in Mahalaxmi and the work was completed in 1883.

The name of the club was changed to Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in 1935 after the then emperor, King George V, gave his approval to add "royal" to the club's name. The club retained its name even after Independence.

The first Indian Derby at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse was held in 1943 and was won by a horse owned by the King of Baroda. Foreign jockeys (who ride the horses in a race) dominated the Indian Derby until 1949, when Kheem Singh became the first Indian jockey to win the event, as per a report in The Hindu.

The RWITC was initially given a 30-year lease in 1934. It was later renewed in 1964 for another 30 years. A 19-year lease was signed in 1994, which expired in 2013. Since then, the future of the racecourse has uncertain.

WHY IS MAHALAXMI SUCH A COVETED AREA IN MUMBAI?

While Mumbai has quite a few green areas such as the Aarey Forest and Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the Mahalaxmi region offers mesmerising views of the Arabian Sea and is near to heritage and cultural locations such as the Mahalaxmi Temple and Haji Ali. Besides, affluent areas such as Worli and Lower Parel are just a stone's throw away.

It also boasts excellent connectivity to important roads such as the Eastern Freeway, Bandra-Worli Sealink and Lalbaug flyover.

Currently, the asking rate for a residential property in the area is around Rs 60,000 per square foot. In fact, builders promote the area to prospective buyers, citing its proximity to the racecourse.

WHAT IS THE CONTROVERSY ALL ABOUT?

As per the land sharing pattern of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, the BMC owns one-third, while the rest of the land belongs to the Maharashtra government.

The racecourse has been at the centre of controversy since 2004. A RWITC panel had then tried to strike a deal with a firm, Pegasus Infrastructure, to develop a golf course, hotel and an exhibition-cum-convention centre on a large chunk of the plot.

However, the deal ran into controversy with opposition from environmentalists and certain sections of the Congress party, which was in power at the Centre. Soon after, the RWITC management was replaced, and the new committee cancelled the deal.

Nine years later, in 2013, controversy erupted again after the RWITC's lease expired. Then, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan was the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, while the BMC was controlled by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.

In 2013, the BMC decided against extending the lease and unveiled a proposal to convert the property into a park, similar to the popular tourist destination "London Eye" in the UK.

The issue was not only about building a park, but had political overtones. Elections were due in 2014 and the Shiv Sena, which had pitched itself as a party raising its voice for middle-class Maharashtrians, saw horse racing as an elite and rich man's sport.

The Congress-led state government opposed the move as it earned around Rs 50 crore per annum through licence fees and taxes on betting during the race season, which is from November to April.

The issue has remained in cold storage since then until the Mumbai civic body re-floated its decision in January 2023 to set up a theme park there by relocating the racecourse to the Mulund dumping ground. However, the plan was ditched and the BMC has now proposed taking over 120 acres of the racecourse.

Three petitions have been filed before the Bombay High Court opposing the proposed theme park at Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The Bombay High Court, while keeping the petitions pending, has refused to restrain the Maharashtra government from taking any decision regarding the racecourse land.

Since 2023, several Bollywood actors like Dia Mirza, social media influencers and climate activists have started a petition opposing the BMC's plan and have sought to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the issue.

"The racecourse is not only an open space but is also a green space with hundreds of old trees...It is the main, if not only, green lung of Mumbai and its importance to the lives of residents of Mumbai cannot be undermined. It is the lifeline of the residents of Mumbai," the petition states.

In a recent meeting with the club, the BMC proposed taking over 120 acres of the racecourse while extending the RWITC's lease for the remaining 91 acres for 30 years. The proposal also mentioned that the Maharashtra Chief Minister would be able to nominate 50 people of his choice for free life membership of the RWITC and the municipal commissioner would be able to nominate one person every year.

The proposed deal by the BMC received a nod from a majority of RWITC members who participated in a vote. Out of 1,800 members, 708 members took part in the vote. The BMC proposal was backed by 540 members, while 168 voted against.

POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS

The Mahalaxmi racecourse is located in the Worli constituency, whose MLA is Sena (UBT) leader and former minister Aaditya Thackeray. Thackeray, who has often spoken up on environment-related issues, has vehemently attacked the Eknath Shinde-BJP government over the theme park plan.

The BJP has accused Thackeray of double standards, pointing out that it was his party (undivided Sena) which first spoke about having a park at the racecourse.

However, Aaditya shot back on social media, saying his father Uddhav Thackeray had proposed a park like "The Hyde Park" where "everyone would have free, open access to a green open space, without any construction".

"The idea was to create an urban green space open for children, elderly, runners, yoga lovers, music lovers, artists and pets and horse lovers too. A free open urban green park for all. Now we read that Khoke Sarkar wants to build a theme park. It's unfortunate that they want to destroy Mumbai's open spaces," he said.

Varsha Gaikwad, four-term Congress MLA from Mumbai's Dharavi, told IndiaToday.in that not even 50 per cent of RWITC members participated in the vote and asserted that the party would move court after consultations. Gaikwad, the first woman president of Mumbai Congress, said the party would hold a massive agitation in Mumbai.

"The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is public land and what right does RWITC have to decide on it. There was no public consultation and everything was negotiated in a closed-door meeting between top BMC officials and RWITC managing committee. Even all BMC officials are not in favour of the theme park," Gaikwad told IndiaToday.in.

She also lashed out at the Shiv Sena-BJP government for not protecting heritage places like the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and giving away government land to corporate friends.

"The government has been hell-bent on exploiting every inch of public open space and giving it to the CM's builder friend. We will take out a massive agitation and also move court in future," she further said.

The issue may have other political ramifications too, with the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls due this year. The BJP has a huge voter base in South Mumbai and the issue may alienate the elite and locals, who use the racecourse for morning walks.

The South Mumbai area has six constituencies. Two are held by the BJP, one by Shinde's Sena, two by Uddhav Sena and one by the Congress.

So, has the 140-year-old Mahalaxmi Racecourse run its course? Hold your horses as the government decides its next step.