Teatime politics: Rane's vada vs Sena's burger

Vada pav, staple teatime snack in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, is now the "burger" of contention in local politics ahead of the crucial Mumbai civic body elections, eight months away.

Nitesh Rane, son of senior Congress minister Narayan Rane, on Friday launched the Chhatrapati Vada Pav, to counter the Shiv Vada brand launched by Shiv Sena. "We will set up our stalls wherever there are Shiv vada pav stalls. If BMC removes our stalls, they will have to remove those stalls as well," he said.

Easy to prepare, quick to serve, vada pav is made of mashed potatoes, dipped in gramflour batter and fried. It is served in a bun with a red chilli-garlic powder, green chutney paste and a helping of sweet tamarind chutney.

Vada pavs are consumed daily by hungry Mumbaikars craving a quick, cheap and filling snack. Most Mumbaikars swear by vada pav, available round the year -- the roots of which are considered as old as the city itself.

The non-profit organisation, Swabhimaan, led by Nitesh opened its first outlet of Chhatrapati Vada Pav at Powai, opposite an outlet recently inaugurated by Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray.

The over 100 Shiv Vada stalls in the city are mired in controversy with allegations that they lack permission of the civic administration. Sena stalls are illegal, Nitesh said, adding that development rules have been violated.

In 1966, when the Sena was formed, party chief Bal Thackeray had encouraged Marathi people to set up vada pav stalls. In November 2008, the Sena held a vada pav competition here and the best recipe was branded as Shiv Vada.