Maharashtra Assembly elections: Straight fight between BJP and Congress in 76 seats, maximum in Vidarbha

In the MVA, the Congress is contesting 102 seats, up of confederation partners Shiv Sena (UBT)’s 96 and NCP (SP)’s 87 seats. The remaining seats person gone to smaller allies.

While the BJP versus Shiv Sena (UBT) contests volition beryllium confined to 30 seats, the BJP versus NCP (SP) conflict volition play retired successful 39 seats. In 3 constituencies – Shirpur, Dahanu and Panvel – the BJP volition contention against the CPI, the CPI(M), and the PWPI, respectively.

The destiny of the Congress and the BJP is apt to beryllium connected however the fabric loop of Vidarbha volition vote. Here, the 2 parties volition beryllium engaged successful a nonstop combat for 36 seats. The portion volition besides spot respective governmental heavyweights, including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, authorities BJP main Chandrashekhar Bawankule and authorities Congress president Nana Patole, contesting.

While Fadnavis volition contention from Nagpur South West for the sixth word against Congress’s Praful Gudadhe, Bawankule volition contention against Congress’s Suresh Bhoyar. Patole is pitted against BJP’s Avinash Brahmankar successful Sakoli.

Another salient campaigner from the Congress who is successful the fray is Vijay Wadettiwar who volition contention the Brahmapuri spot against BJP’s Krishnalal Sahare. After losing the Lok Sabha spot from Chandrapur, BJP curate Sudhir Mungantiwar volition combat to clasp his Ballarpur spot against Congress’s Santosh Rawat.

The Congress’s determination to recapture Vidarbha tin beryllium seen from its determination to manus implicit 2 important posts, authorities president and Opposition leader, to Patole and Wadettiwar. It was besides present that Congress person Rahul Gandhi got the maximum traction during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. The enactment won 5 retired of 10 seats successful the portion successful the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress’s show successful the portion was besides reflected successful its wide show with the enactment winning 14 of the 17 Lok Sabha seats it contested. Similarly, the BJP’s dismal amusement of winning conscionable 2 seats present was mirrored crossed the state, with the enactment lone managing to triumph 9 of the 28 seats contested.

The BJP enactment knows that regaining its clasp implicit the fabric loop is simply a daunting task.

In the 2014 Assembly polls, erstwhile the BJP emerged arsenic the azygous largest enactment with 122 seats, the maximum summation came from the Vidarbha portion wherever it won 44 retired of 62 seats. In 2019, the party’s tally dropped to 29 seats.

But this clip around, with the RSS taking to the tract with renewed aggression to scope retired to the masses, particularly successful Vidarbha, the BJP is assured it volition look stronger. The BJP has besides been connected course-correction mode, from consolidating the Other Backward Class voters to placating Dalits. In the past six months, the enactment besides deployed a dedicated squad to scope retired to people, segment-wise, crossed the 288 seats.

“The BJP’s dependence connected Vidarbha is earthy arsenic it has a beardown basal organisationally. Also, the apical authorities enactment including Union curate Nitin Gadkari, Fadnavis and Bawankule hail from this region, giving it a chiseled individuality and edge,” a enactment insider said.

“We volition surely look arsenic the fig 1 party. The Mahayuti volition get the bulk to signifier the government,” Fadnavis said recently. The optimism was echoed by Bawankule. “The Lok Sabha polls were contested connected a mendacious narrative. The Congress hoodwinked people…it volition not win again,” helium said.

Meanwhile, the Congress is counting connected its Dalit, Muslim and Kunbi ballot slope to recreate the Lok Sabha magic successful Vidarbha, and focusing connected issues similar jobs for the youth. “Unemployment has unleashed immense unrest among the youth, not conscionable successful Vidarbha but crossed Maharashtra. Ironically, precise small has been done to code the contented by the government,” Patole said.