Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Never seen before narratives take over state polls

Mumbai: ‘Save Constitution’, ‘ek hai to safe hai’, ‘batange toh katange’, ‘nafrat ke bazaar mein - mohabbat ki dukan’, ‘red book’, ‘urban naxal’, ‘Pakistani-agenda’, ’correct karyakram’, ‘vote jihad’, ‘dharma-yuddh’, ‘gaddar’, ‘pannas khokhe’, ‘bhonge bandh kara’, ‘jhooton ka sardar’ ‘Ram Krishna Hari, vajwa tutari’, ‘Aurangzeb’, ‘Afazal Khan’, ‘Emergency mindset’ are some of the narratives that are dominating the Maharashtra polls which involves a contest between two alliances.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, scheduled on November 20, is witnessing a contest between ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) comprising Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) including Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).

The Congress is banking on the ‘Save Constitution’, ‘aarakshan bachao’ narratives of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi - which helped the grand old party in consolidating the Dalit-Muslim votes. Meanwhile, the BJP is countering with ‘ek hai to safe hai’ slogan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ‘no Muslim quota’ of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and ‘batange to karange’ of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge is targeting Modi as ‘jhooton ka sardar’ and that all promises made for helping ‘bhaiyon and behnon’ have failed in 10 years.

On the other hand, referring to the ‘uprising’ in the Shiv Sena, Chief Minister is using the catchphrase of ‘correct karyakram kia’ - a reference to the toppling of the Uddhav Thackeray-led dispensation. However, the Shiv Sena (UBT) head and his son Aaditya Thackeray are using the old narrative of ‘radar’, ‘pannas khokhe’, ‘mindhe’.

To target the duo of Modi-Shah, Thackeray is using what is known as the Thakeri-language and has responded to Shah’s jibe of ‘Aurangzeb fan club’ with the expression of ‘Jinnah fan club’.

Setting the poll narrative, BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has attacked Gandhi as he accused him of attempting to forge “urban Naxals and anarchists” by holding a “red book” pocket-size Constitution in his hand and displaying it in his public engagements.

NCP’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, however, in rallies has expressed commitment to the principles of “Shiv-Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar’.

State Congress President Nana Patole’s comments “time to make BJP a dog now” has been met with severe criticism by the BJP.

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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