Congress Mumbai South candidate Milind Deora and his Shiv Sena opponent, sitting MP Arvind Sawant, made a campaign stop at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday to woo stock brokers and fund managers.

The two locked horns in a friendly manner at ‘Indian Markets — The Way Forward’, a discussion on how the Mumbai South candidates can contribute to the development of the constituency and the market. The debate was moderated by journalist Govindraj Ethiraj.

The debate ranged from various market issues to those of governance, with Mr. Deora and Mr. Sawant discussing topics like demonetisation and privatisation. Both agreed that the government should set up a political body to encourage and regulate investments.

Mr. Deora said, “In my term as MP from 2004 to 2014, I noticed that Mumbai South is one of the most diverse constituencies of India. You have mill workers who have contributed to the economic development of the city, the Agri-Koli community who were the original inhabitants, and people who are engaged in businesses such as cloth, diamonds and gold. The people of South Mumbai are associated with commerce and enterprise, and I would want to represent all these people.”

The Congress candidate said that in 2014, people did not look at the candidate since there was a [Narendra] Modi wave, as a result of which Mumbai has lost a voice which can represent the city nationally.

“Moreover, Mumbai had a voice when Murli Deora and Jaywantiben Mehta were MPs, not now,” he said.

Before Mr. Sawant’s arrival — he arriveda little late — Mr. Deora predicted that the Sena MP would talk about ideology in voting. And sure enough, Mr. Sawant said, “In this Lok Sabha election, we need to represent the ideology and the nation, and thus the BJP should be elected.” This had the listeners in splits.

Mr. Deora also brought up Mr. Sawant’s stance on demonetisation — the MP had allegedly said demonetisation was dictatorship and not democracy.

The Sena MP outlined the good work he has done work for the constituency, saying, “But I have not made a big deal out of it. The Shiv Sena has always been giving suggestions to the government, be it on the Right to Education or GST, where we petitioned to protect the revenue of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. We have always listened to the public at large and given advice.”

Mr. Sawant took potshots at the Congress’s grand alliance, saying the other parties had left the Congress with fewer seats. There was also a brief argument over the implementation of Passport Seva Kendras, with Mr. Deora and Mr. Sawant debating when the facility was introduced.

“There have been problems between the BJP and the Shiv Sena, but then we did not take divorce,” Mr. Sawant said in response to a statement from his opponent. The debate also touched upon issues such as land acquisition, education, employment, privatisation and urbanisation.

When asked why he should be elected, Mr. Deora said, “I have been the MP of this constituency from 2004 to 2014. Moreover, talk is cheap, delivery is important.” He said Mumbai South has always been represented by stalwarts. “The people need a person in Parliament who can make their voices heard,” he said.

Mr. Sawant, responding to the same question, said, “People should vote for me because I have earned the title of the Best Parliamentarian of the country. Moreover, we are in an alliance with the BJP and assure you a stable government.”

The MP also said he had 98.5% attendance in the Lok Sabha and had participated in 287 debates.