Congress’ Jayshri Jadhav wins Kolhapur by-poll

Jadhav is the wife of Chandrakant Jadhav, who wrested this seat from Sena legislator Rajesh Kshirsagar in the 2019 assembly elections

Mumbai: Congress candidate Jayshri Jadhav won the by-poll held in the Kolhapur (North) assembly segment defeating rival Satyajit (Nana) Kadam of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 19,307 votes, results declared on Saturday revealed.

Kolhapur, India - April 16, 2022: Celebrations after Jayashree Jadhav of Congress wins Kolhapur North Assembly bypoll, in Kolhapur, India, on Saturday, April 16, 2022. (Photo by Anil Velhal/HT Photo) (Hindustan Times)

Jadhav is the first woman to win from this seat since Independence.

The win is significant as it provides the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, comprising the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, a much-needed boost in the arm at a time when the BJP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have tried to make religious identity an issue during the ongoing festival season, including seeking a prohibition on the use of loudspeakers outside mosques, while calling for the recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa prayer outside temples.

Jadhav is the wife of Chandrakant Jadhav, who wrested this seat from Sena legislator Rajesh Kshirsagar in the 2019 assembly elections. Chandrakant Jadhav died in December 2021 due to Covid-19 related complications, thus necessitating the by-election, which took place on April 12, and saw over 61% voter turnout.

Kadam, BJP’s candidate, is the nephew of local strongman and former legislator Mahadeorao Mahadik. He said that the BJP had secured significant votes had risen despite the three MVA allies closing ranks.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said it was a “victory of progressive thoughts.”

Minister of state for home and the district’s guardian minister Satej (Bunty) Patil, who had managed the Congress campaign, said that Kolhapur has given a message of equality through this mandate. “The BJP had tried to polarise this election, but the people of Kolhapur have foiled this move... The BJP must now make it clear if it believes in the Constitution of India or not. They tried to polarise the election and create a rift between communities,” he said, adding that the MVA partners countered this by raising issues of development.

“The BJP on its own got more than 77,000 votes and made it tough (for the MVA). The Congress candidate has not secured a runaway margin. So there is no need for anyone to be jubilant,” said state BJP president Chandrakant Patil, who claimed that money power and caste politics were used against the BJP.

Patil, a legislator from Kothrud, Pune, hails from Kolhapur. Soon after the results were declared, memes aimed at Patil began to circulate on social media. They pertained to Patil’s statements last year, when he said that he would go to the Himalaya (renounce public life) if he lost an election from any constituency in Kolhapur.

Former chief minister and leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis who held rallies in Kolhapur accused former ally, Shiv Sena, of turning “pseudo secular” for the sake of power. Fadnavis, who also sought to fight on the Hindutva plank, hoped to tap into the resentment of Shiv Sainiks who were upset after the MVA allies decided that Congress should contest on this seat.

Chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray held a virtual rally on April 10. According to a senior BJP leader from Kolhapur, who did not wish to be named, the rally helped consolidate Sena votes for the Congress nominee.

“Women voters may have overwhelmingly cast their franchise for Jadhav, who is the first woman to be elected to the assembly from the town,” the leader added.

The BJP’s Hindutva pitch helped consolidate Muslims and Dalit votes in favour of the Congress. Brahmin and mercantile communities like Gujaratis and Marwaris, who are largely seen as BJP supporters, did not turn out in huge numbers, the BJP leader added.

The constituency, which comprises the old areas of Kolhapur city like Rajarampuri, Shahupuri, Laxmipuri and Bawda, has nearly 100,000 Maratha voters, a similar number of other backward classes (OBC) voters as well as 35,000 Brahmins, 20,000 Gujaratis, Marwaris and Jains, 18,000 Dalits, and 15,000 Muslims.

Saturday’s result is being seen as a mandate on MVA’s popularity: so far, two by-elections have been held since the MVA came to power in November 2019. In May 2021, the BJP’s Samadhan Autade had snatched the Pandharpur-Mangalwedha seat after the death of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Bharat Bhalke, while in November, Jitesh Antapurkar of the Congress held on to Deglur-Biloli which was won by his late father, Raosaheb. The Kolhapur victory has increased the tally for the MVA.

Leaders from the ruling parties are facing investigations from many central and federal agencies, which has also led to some leaders including former home minister, Anil Deshmukh and sitting legislator Nawab Malik, being jailed.

The result also has ramifications for the internal politics in the BJP.

Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat termed this the “victory of the MVA” and attributed it to the unity of its constituents. “This victory will lay the path for the future politics of the state,” he added.