As soon as the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha election 2024 was announced download rummy, political movements picked up pace in Maharashtra. The pace with which permutations and combinations have been worked out between political parties and the ways they have been wooing allies have confused even seasoned observers who are hard put to figure out who is in which camp. By design or otherwise, this chaos has already ensured that the stories of the 2024 Lok Sabha election will be told for a long time. download rummy
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Make no mistake, there is no visible wave for any one side this time. There is a battle on for each seat. A few months ago, many would have imagined Maharashtra 2024 as a straight clash between two alliances. But this is not the case. The 48 battles across Maharashtra have several cross-connections and are influenced by local equations, communities, family ties, and interests.
Pick any constituency, it will give you an idea that more than the national political narrative, the local “politricks” are more important this time. In the first phase on April 19, voting will take place in five constituencies. BJP stalwart Nitin Gadkari is contesting from Nagpur. Against him, the Congress has fielded its city chief and MLA Vikas Thakre. The party has three major camps in Nagpur city, but Thakre is the consensus candidate for all three, not for his popularity or achievements, but because he is a weak choice against Gadkari. In return, it is alleged that Gadkari will stay out of Vidarbha.
The VBA confusion download rummy
Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has given its support to the Congress in this seat, the only one the Congress will fight in the first phase. Political observers know well that this support counts for nothing, but in return, Ambedkar has fielded candidates in the other four seats in the first phase. Interestingly, the ground situation in these four constituencies, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, and Ramtek, suggests that this time the BJP can survive only if there is a division of votes between the Congress and the VBA.
It is now clear that there will not be an alliance between the INDIA bloc and the VBA. After talks went on for almost three months, the alliance did not take off, due to the contradictory claims of both the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the VBA.
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However, this move to form an alliance between the VBA and Jarange-Patil could prove counterproductive too.Many political theorists have written about the history of political competition between these two communities for many centuries. The situation has not changed even today.
BJP’s multi-pronged strategy download rummy
The division of anti-BJP vote blocs has been a principal strategy of the BJP in Maharashtra over the last three years. The saffron party has offered one Lok Sabha seat and 12 Assembly seats to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.
The desperation to bring Raj Thackeray into its fold has come after the party realised the possible anger of Marathi voters. Since the BJP broke the two important regional parties of Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, the opposition has been heavily campaigning over the BJP’s anti-Maharashtra stance. To counter this, the BJP wants Raj Thackeray. But Raj Thackeray has not agreed to the BJP’s offer so far and is reportedly demanding two Lok Sabha seats.
Recently, Jankar levelled allegations against the BJP for neglecting him and was seen meeting the NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar. download rummy
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Jankar coming into the INDIA bloc would have helped Supriya in Baramati and Praniti, the daughter of heavyweight Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde, who is contesting from Solapur, adjoining Madha. The BJP realised the possible damage and quickly pacified Jankar.
Union Minister and BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others at a rally before filing his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections in Nagpur on March 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
That, however, has made the BJP’s case more complicated. The second big family is Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil’s, prominent in Akluj in Solapur, who has also refused to work for Nimbalkar. Patil had joined the BJP in 2019.This is a major jolt for the BJP in western Maharashtra. The Mohite Patil family is strong in the Solapur district and has pockets of influence in Pune and Satara districts.
There is a buzz that the erstwhile royal families of Maharashtra are slowly turning against the BJP. The wheels have turned in the last five years. First, Kolhapur King Shahu Maharaj became a Congress candidate. Another descendant of King Shivaji, Udayanraje Bhosale from Satara, is also in two minds over being with the BJP.
Royal shifts download rummy
These movements of royal families are not just a reaction. They look like a plan designed over the months. Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur entered politics for the first time at the age of 75. He led the rebellion within the BJP. The party’s politics to push ideologically committed cadres into key positions has disturbed the prominent families of western Maharashtra. Shahu reportedly convinced Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar and Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil to distance themselves from the BJP at the right time. Patil’s son Ranjitsinh is the son-in-law of Nagpur’s Bhosale clan. download rummy
Therefore, Mohite-Patil is directly related to Shahu Maharaj. All four families have a huge influence on the voting populations of western Maharashtra.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses a public meeting ahead of the Lok Sabha elections at Vasmat in Hingoli on March 18, 2024. | Photo Credit: ANI
These developments look good for the opposition alliance MVA. However, the infighting within the MVA is a matter of concern. Uddhav Thackeray, in a unilateral move, announced candidates in Sangli, Mumbai South Central, and Mumbai North West constituencies. The Congress is demanding all three constituencies in seat-sharing. As soon as Uddhav Thackeray’s list of candidates came out, the entire Congress leadership became vocal against Uddhav Thackeray, asking him to follow alliance ethics and not announce candidates unilaterally on contentious seats. Sanjay Nirupam, a Mumbai Congress leader eyeing Mumbai North West, suggested a “friendly fight” in such seats. This development has the potential to break the MVA now. How the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress senior leadership will resolve the issue needs to be seen.
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ED, as usual download rummy
Making the Maharashtra affair murkier is the Centre’s use of investigation agencies on State leaders. Within two hours of Uddhav Thackeray announcing the candidature of Amol Kirtikar in Mumbai North West, the Enforcement Directorate issued a summons to him.
In 2014, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance clinched 42 of 48 seats in Maharashtra. Fast forward to 2019, and the alliance secured 41 seats. However, the landscape has since shifted dramatically. The BJP has now forged new alliances while its oldest ally, Uddhav Thackeray, has turned adversary. Determined to maintain the coalition’s strength, the BJP employs every stratagem at its disposal. Meanwhile, for Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, and the Congress, this election has become a pivotal showdown. Maharashtra is in the throes of an electoral battle unlike any it has seen before.