In Kolhapur, Shivaji’s descendant takes on the Modi factor

Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj II, a Congress candidate, is banking on the legacy of his great-grandfather Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj

Kolhapur: “Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj was a king in a true sense and a visionary. He always tried to help his people irrespective of their caste and religion,” said Qadir Hamza Malbari, 71, administrator of the Mohamedan Education Society, a boarding school in the heart of Kolhapur.

In Kolhapur, Shivaji’s descendant takes on the Modi factor

Shahu Maharaj, who ruled Kolhapur from 1894 to 1922 and is a descendant of 17th-century Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is still a revered and loved figure in city, over a century after he died. A progressive ruler, he initiated several social reforms during his 28-year reign. Like in education, where he donated land for around 22 boarding schools in Kolhapur across different communities, including the Mohamedan Education Society. He made going to school mandatory and imposed a fine of ₹1 on parents if they didn’t send their children to study.

It’s this legacy that his great-grandson, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj II, is banking on when Kolhapur goes to the polls in the third phase of the general elections on May 7. Shahu Maharaj II, or just Maharaj as he is referred to, and his family enjoy a special place in the hearts of Kolhapur’s people.

The Maratha community, considered the followers of Shivaji, dominate the district’s demographics. This is evident from the fact that only Maratha candidates have won the constituency since 1980, spanning 11 Lok Sabha polls. This time, too, both the top contenders, Shahu II and the incumbent MP Sanjay Mandlik, are Marathas.

Shahu’s candidature presents a ray of hope for the Congress, which has never won the Kolhapur seat since 1998. In fact, the party hasn’t even contested the seat for 25 years, leaving it to its alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). This would explain why it offered the seat to Shahu, who doesn’t have political experience but identifies with the Congress ideology.

Will royalty be enough to secure a win? Some Kolhapuris, like Malbari, who are confident that Maharaj, as Shahu is referred to locally, will win. They believe it’s their duty to vote for the royal family considering what all Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj I did for them.

“Kolhapur will never forget the work done by Shahu Maharaj during his rule. He built the Radhanagari dam by giving his own land and spending his own money only for us. How can we forget that and not vote for his descendant,” said Swapnil Lohar, a tour operator from Uchgaon in Kolhapur district.

The Radhanagari dam, built on the Bhogawati river in 1907, is the main reason for Kolhapur’s flourishing agriculture. It also fulfils the Kolhapur municipal corporation’s water requirements. “In Kolhapur, if Maharaj is contesting, we cannot give our vote to anyone else,” said the owner of a popular hotel in Kolhapur, who requested anonymity.

However, some people are also concerned that Shahu may not be accessible because he’s a king who lives in a palace. Balasaheb Bodhle, 55, who runs a tailor shop in Kagal, believes Mandlik will win for the second time. “Although we respect Maharaj, I think it would be difficult to approach him as he’s not an ordinary person,” he said.

Mandlik won the 2019 elections as an undivided Shiv Sena candidate by 270,000 votes, the highest-ever victory margin recorded for the seat. The 60-year-old is currently part of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction.

However, the ruling Mahayuti alliance is not underestimating the pull of Kolhapur’s royal family, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in the district last week. The alliance hopes the Modi factor can give it somewhat of an equal footing. “We are not against Maharaj, but we will vote for Modi,” said Bhausaheb Patil, a farmer from Chandgad village.

This sentiment prevails even in a corner of Shahu II’s extended family. Samarjeet Ghatge, a BJP leader who’s also a descendant of Shahu Maharaj I, insisted the poll fight is not between Shahu II and Mandlik but between PM Modi and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). He said that Modi is actually carrying forward the true legacy of Shahu Maharaj by abolishing triple talaq.

“It was Shahu Maharaj I who abolished the ‘Kadimod’ practice in Hindus, under which a relationship with a woman could be ended anytime and without any social obligation,” said Ghatge, who is among the senior leaders in the district whom the Mahayuti considered fielding against Shahu II. However, Ghatge refused to contest against his relative.

Mandlik even has the support of his once-rival Hasan Mushrif, a Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) leader and cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government. However, some locals believe Mandlik doesn’t have the charisma of his father Sadashivrao Mandlik, the Kolhapur MP from 1998 to 2014. [Sanjay] is not Sadashivrao, who used to be available to the people whenever they were in need,” said Anil Bapat, a private bank employee.

The battle for Kolhapur promises to be intriguing. The Congress is no way in a weak position. It holds three of the district’s six assembly constituencies — Kolhapur South (Ruturaj Patil), Karvir (PN Patil) and Kolhapur North (Jayshri Jadhav) — and also has two MLCs: Satej Patil and Jayant Asgaonkar.

Satej Patil concurred with Ghatge when he said it’s an ideological fight. “Shahu Maharaj worked to unite everyone, and his descendent also adheres to the same ideas, whereas the BJP is working to divide people based on their caste and religion,” he said. Patil added that Kolhapur is also grappling with issues like unemployment and inflation. “There is also unrest among farmers due to unreasonable prices for their produce.”

Interestingly, Patil is believed to have extended his support to Mandlik in the last elections against NCP candidate Dhananjay Mahadik despite an alliance between Congress and NCP for the general elections. Patil and Mahadik are considered arch rivals. Within months after the defeat, Mahadik joined BJP and is now campaigning for Mandlik.

It is also significant to note that Mandlik’s father Sadashivrao defeated Shahu II’s son Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. It would be interesting to see whether Shahu can avenge his son’s defeat.