Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar with NCP leader Ajit Pawar(L).
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: The eyeball-to-eyeball political conflict in the Western Maharashtra region, also known as the Pune division or 'the sugar bowl', will decide which is the real NCP. Over the past 25 years, the undivided NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar has been a big player in the region. However, the June 2023 split engineered by his nephew Ajit Pawar changed the equations here.
Credit: DH Infographics, (Map- di.maharashtra.gov.in)
As of now Ajit Pawar controls the real NCP party and is part of the BJP-led Maha Yuti, while Sharad Pawar heads the NCP (SP) and is the driving force behind the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Politically, the region would see a fight between the uncle-nephew duo.
Ajit Pawar, the five-time Deputy Chief Minister, who is a seven-time MLA, would be contesting the home seat of Baramati, however, he could be challenged by Yugendra Pawar, his nephew. Over the last six months, he had been seen accompanying Sharad Pawar NCP Working President Supriya Sule and NCP (SP) workers Yugendra to the contest.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar fielded his wife Sunetra Pawar against Supriya Sule, where the latter won. Sunetra was later sent to Rajya Sabha.
If one looks at the 2019 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls, the NCP was the No 1 party in the region.
Credit: DH Infographics
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, NCP (SP) won 3 seast and Congress 2 while the BJP and Shiv Sena (ES) won two seats each. Vishal Patil, a Congress rebel, who contested as an Independent candidate against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Chandrahar Patil and then BJP MP Sanjaykaka Patil, won the elections. Later he supported the Congress.
Credit: DH Infographics
The Lok Sabha polls also saw two descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj winning the elections from the opposite sites.
In Satara, Shrimant Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale of BJP defeated Shashikant Shinde of Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) while in Kolhapur, Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj of the Congress defeated Sanjay Mandlik of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj’s son Maharashtra Swarajya Paksha has announced an alliance with farmers’ leader Raju Shetti and Bacchu Kadu, which could create problems for bigger parties.
Credit: DH Infographics
Besides that, the impact of the Maratha reservation issue and OBC resistance will be a factor here.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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