Congress emerges as largest party in Maharashtra

There are several seats for which counting is still on. According to the election commission’s website, Congress has won six seats so far

Mumbai: From one seat in the last Lok Sabha election to becoming the largest party in 2024, the Congress has scripted a remarkable turnaround in Maharashtra. The party, which contested 17 seats as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, is likely to win 13 seats, while the one independent who has won in Sangli is also from the Congress and set to return to the party.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being felicitated during the Nyay Sankalp Sabha, as Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole looks on, in Nandurbar. (ANI Photo) (AICC)

There are several seats for which counting is still on. According to the election commission’s website, Congress has won six seats so far: Nandurbar, Amravati, Chandrapur, Nanded, Mumbai North Central and Kolhapur. It is leading in seven others: Dhule, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Jalna, Latur and Solapur.

The resurgence in Vidarbha, spearheaded by state party chief Nana Patole, has played a big role in the revival of the Congress fortunes. The party has won five of the seven seats it contested in the region: Amravati, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Gadchiroli-Chimur and Chandrapur.

The Congress has also done well in Marathwada, winning three of the eight seats it contested: Nanded, Jalna and Latur. This, despite the defection of Ashok Chavan, who was among the biggest Congress leaders in the state and has significant hold in the district.

In Nanded, Congress candidate Vasant Chavan beat sitting BJP MP Pratprao Chiklikar by 52,884 votes. In Jalna, Congress candidate Kalyan Kale beat union minister Raosaheb Danve, a five-term MP, by over 56,820 votes.

In western Maharashtra, the party won in Kolhapur and Solapur. It had fielded Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, a descendent of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Kolhapur. He won against sitting Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Mandlik by 154,964 votes. In Solapur, Praniti Shinde, daughter of former union minister Sushilkumar Shinde, drubbed BJP candidate Ram Satpute by 77,669 votes.

The grand old party also snatched its old bastion Nandurbar from the BJP. Gowaal Padavi registered a huge victory against two-term BJP MP Heena Gavit, by a margin of 159,120 votes. In Mumbai too, it won the sole seat it contested, Mumbai North Central.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole credited Rahul Gandhi and his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, both of which traversed through Maharashtra. “Poll results also serve a lesson to the unconstitutional government of Maharashtra. The people have shown that they will not allow a government to be run by money power,” Patole told the media

Mrudul Nile, professor in the Department of Civics and Politics, University of Mumbai, said several factors were behind the results that favoured Congress.

“In 2019, if Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen had not eaten into a large share of its votes, the Congress would have done better. This time, sentiments of Dalit and Muslims communities largely favoured the Congress,” he said.

The other factors that worked in their favour, he added, was Maharashtra’s political culture of constitutional values.

The Congress’ revival in the state comes in backdrop of several of its leaders like Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora, Baba Siddique and Sanjay Nirupam shifting leaving for the ruling alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (AP).