Fadnavis and Pawars to Shinde, Uddhav, Patole: A make-or-break for major players in Maharashtra polls

Devendra Fadnavis

The erstwhile CM who is the BJP’s main look successful the authorities has a batch to beryllium aft the Lok Sabha predetermination setback that saw the BJP triumph lone 9 of the 28 seats it contested (a onslaught complaint poorer than that of state Shiv Sena). Depending connected however galore seats the BJP wins retired of the 150-plus constituencies it is contesting, Fadnavis volition either beryllium further diminished politically, forced to stay a measurement down Chief Minister Eknath Shinde successful the Mahayuti hierarchy, oregon helium volition instrumentality to openly calling the shots.

To guarantee that the BJP does not repetition the mistakes it made up of the Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis initiated a bid of course-correction measures successful the past fewer months, including attempts to consolidate the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to blunt immoderate Maratha consolidation against the party. The Deputy CM who is from Nagpur and adjacent to the RSS has besides helped adjacent immoderate region that whitethorn person existed betwixt the enactment and its genitor organisation. The BJP has the Sangh backmost playing a cardinal relation successful its campaign.

For Fadnavis, the biggest situation is ensuring that the enactment crosses astatine slightest the 100-seat people truthful that it tin proceed remaining the Mahayuti’s fulcrum.

Sharad Pawar

At 84 years old, the erstwhile Maharashtra CM is possibly facing the astir important predetermination of his six-decade governmental career. Five years ago, Pawar came retired connected top, outmanoeuvring the BJP to interruption its decades-long confederation with the Shiv Sena. He past shaped the MVA, bringing on the ideologically disparate Sena and Congress, and the confederation came to power.

However, the past 2 years person been unsmooth for the seasoned leader. First, the MVA authorities was toppled successful June 2022 amid the Shiv Sena rebellion. Then, past year, his nephew Ajit Pawar yet pulled the trigger and divided the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), taking distant the bulk of the party’s legislators and MPs. Since then, Pawar has strategised to rebuild his party, called the NCP (SP), and support the MVA together. He has extensively travelled crossed the state, focusing connected the party’s halfway areas of occidental Maharashtra and Marathwada.

The archetypal signs that Pawar’s efforts were bearing effect came during the Lok Sabha elections erstwhile the NCP (SP) won 8 of the 10 seats it contested. In the spot negotiations for the Assembly polls, the NCP (SP) managed to container 87 seats, much than the 70-75 constituencies it was initially believed to beryllium eyeing.

However, Ajit, though saddled with problems of his own, is not rather diminished yet and volition supply Pawar with a pugnacious situation successful the sweetener loop of occidental Maharashtra that has seen a grade of displacement successful caller weeks. The result of this Pawar versus Pawar conflict successful the region, which has 70 Assembly seats, whitethorn find the result of the elections. If Pawar succeeds, helium volition beryllium beyond uncertainty which 1 is the existent NCP.

Ajit Pawar

The situation his uncle faces is besides 1 that Deputy CM Ajit Pawar is confronted with. This election, the archetypal since helium emerged retired of Pawar’s shadow, volition beryllium a large trial of Ajit Pawar’s enactment skills and quality to prove, erstwhile and for all, that his NCP is deserving of the enactment sanction and symbol.

Despite his precocious manus erstwhile helium broke ranks with Pawar — 41 of the party’s 54 MLAs backed him — Ajit Pawar has failed to property his advantage. In the Lok Sabha elections, helium contested lone 4 seats and managed to triumph one. He besides appears to person been near shortchanged successful the Assembly seat-sharing talks, getting lone 52 seats.

Apart from the larger governmental battle, the Deputy CM volition look a trial connected his turf Baramati, the hometown of the full Pawar clan. He has been winning the seat, which his uncle represented earlier him, since 1991 and faces his nephew Yugendra this time. With his woman Sunetra having mislaid the Baramati Lok Sabha predetermination to Pawar’s girl Supriya Sule, the Baramati predetermination is each the much important for Ajit Pawar.

Uddhav Thackeray

When Uddhav Thackeray took complaint arsenic the Shiv Sena’s moving president successful 2002-’03, galore wrote him disconnected arsenic a misfit successful the party’s governmental milieu. But implicit the adjacent fewer years, Uddhav showed wherefore helium should not beryllium considered a lightweight arsenic helium strengthened his grip and removed his critics specified arsenic Narayan Rane and Raj Thackeray.

Though dealt a assemblage stroke by the Shinde revolt, Uddhav managed to avert a implicit collapse, showing yet again wherefore helium cannot beryllium written off. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Shiv Sena (UBT) won 9 of the 21 seats it contested, with a onslaught complaint astir adjacent to Shinde’s party.

Like Pawar, Uddhav present faces a litmus test. At involvement is the accidental to found helium is the existent heir to his begetter Bal Thackeray’s governmental bequest and not his erstwhile lieutenant Shinde. The elections, successful short, volition beryllium a mandate connected the existent Sena. The polls volition besides beryllium important arsenic acold arsenic Thackeray’s presumption wrong the MVA is considered and his chances of remaining successful the speech for the CM’s station if the confederation returns to power.

Eknath Shinde

Thought to beryllium idiosyncratic who would beryllium a puppet CM acting connected the directions of Fadnavis and the BJP, Eknath Shinde has managed to interruption that representation since taking complaint of the authorities 2 years ago. His party’s show successful the Lok Sabha elections — it won 7 of the 15 seats it contested — has strengthened Shinde’s presumption successful the Mahayuti. This is reflected successful the seat-sharing statement that volition spot the Shiv Sena contention 80 Assembly constituencies.

The situation for Shinde is to guarantee that not lone the Mahayuti returns to powerfulness but besides that the Shiv Sena expands its electoral basal capable for him to proceed remaining the alliance’s lynchpin. The people is winning much than 40 seats, which is the fig of MLAs helium broke distant with during his rebellion. The BJP’s cardinal enactment is said to person assured Shinde helium volition clasp his seat if helium crosses that mark.

Nana Patole

The outspoken authorities Congress president has breathed beingness into the organisation with his marque of assertive authorities that has seen him instrumentality connected the BJP and the RSS head-on. But Patole besides tends to hitch his allies and enactment colleagues the incorrect way, arsenic seen during the seat-sharing talks. His pugnacious basal is believed to person irked Uddhav and the Sena (UBT) truthful overmuch that the Congress was forced to deploy elder person Balasaheb Thorat during the past agelong of the discussions.

Patole is the party’s OBC look nether whose enactment the Congress outshone each different enactment to triumph 13 Lok Sabha seats this year. The Assembly elections are the trial of his quality to instrumentality everyone on and proceed the party’s upward swing. Another beardown showing for the enactment volition fortify his manus successful the enactment and the MVA, making it hard for allies and rivals alike to disregard him.