Another manifestation of the community’s dwindling numbers and clout is the absence of a Parsi councillor in the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC). The Daily News and Analysis (DNA) of February 13, 2017 carried a front page story highlighting this fact, as did the Hindustan Times (HT) on February 16.
Election poster showing Noshir and Anahita Mehta endorsing candidate Rajendra Narwankar
"The adjoining areas of Khetwadi, Grant Road, Bombay Central, Foras Road, Nagpada areas were represented by (the Mehta) family.” The municipal ward that the family, father Rusi, son Noshir and daughter Anahita represented for 48 years has now been reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC). But the siblings inform they would continue taking up civic issues and assisting the needy. "Whether we are corporators or not, hardly matters,” Noshir stated.
Dinshaw Mehta, former chairman of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet told HT that political parties tend to ignore Parsi candidates because the community lacks substantial numbers. Dinshaw shared in an email sent to Parsiana. "(In) the Mehta family citadel, Ward No 216 from 1968 till March 2017 when Noshir Mehta’s term expires only a member of the Mehta family has been elected continuously. This time, since the Ward was reserved for an OBC candidate no one from the Mehta clan was eligible. Therefore they supported Rajendra Narwanker, a former BMC engineer… and with strong campaigning of sitting corporator Noshir Mehta as well as ex-corporator Anahita Mehta, the Congress candidate easily won … by a margin of over 3,400 votes… Thus the Mehta family wave in Ward No 216 still continues.”