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In Nashik, many knots in Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena fight
Hemant Godse is seeking a third term as MP in Nashik while Rajabhau Waje is a former MLA from Sinnar assembly constituency
Nashik: For undivided Shiv Sena, Nashik was always an important city. After Mumbai and Aurangabad, it was Nashik where Shiv Sena built its base. The party has been winning Nashik seat since 2014.
Following the split, sitting MP Hemant Godse defected to Shinde-led Sena and has been renominated. Uddhav Thackeray has fielded Rajabhau Waje, a local leader. Both candidates have had their challenges. Godse’s candidature was opposed by BJP while Shiv Sena (UBT) saw a rebellion after Waje’s name was announced.
Godse, who has an image of being approachable, is seeking a third term as MP here. Waje, having an image of a being a down-to-earth leader and a loyal Shiv Sainik, is a former MLA from Sinnar assembly constituency that is part of Nashik parliamentary constituency.
As an undivided Shiv Sena and BJP candidate, Godse defeated undivided NCP candidate and former MP Sameer Bhujbal with a margin of over 2.92 lakh votes in 2019. Independent candidate Manikrao Kokate and Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate, Pavan Pawar secured over 1.34 lakh and 1.09 lakh votes, respectively, in that election.
Godse faces anti-incumbency, after ten years in office. So BJP was keen on contesting here. Amit Shah asked NCP to field party heavyweight Chagan Bhujbal. But Eknath Shinde, chief minister, put his foot down and insisted on Godse’s candidature. Bhujbal, who had started his poll preparations, waited for three weeks to be officially announced as a candidate which didn’t happen.
Bhujbal felt humiliated and declared his withdrawal. Finally, BJP gave in to the chief minister’s demand and Godse’s name was announced two days before the last day of filing nominations.
Anil Jadhav, a local BJP leader, revolted against the decision and filed his nomination as an independent candidate. He was persuaded to withdraw by deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who also convinced disgruntled Sinnar NCP MLA Manikrao Kokate to fall in.
Of six assembly constituencies, Godse’s party did not have a single MLA. Three seats are with the BJP, two are with Ajit Pawar-led NCP and one is with the Congress. This means allies will have to pull in to make Godse win.
The local BJP unit is sulking, so is NCP since it was allocated only four seats in the alliance. Moreover, Bhujbal, who controls NCP in Nashik, shares a longstanding political rivalry with Godse and hasn’t quite thrown his weight behind Godse.
In the last three polls there was a direct electoral fight between Godse and the Bhujbals for Nashik Lok Sabha seat. In 2009, Godse as MNS candidate was defeated by Sameer, Chagan Bhujbal’s nephew. In 2014, Godse contested as Shiv Sena candidate and defeated Bhujbal. In 2019, he avenged his defeat against Sameer. The BJP leadership has done its best to pacify Bhujbal in a state where the overall atmosphere is not entirely favourable to it.
“Things started improving for Godse after PM Modi’s rally and CM Shinde is also focusing on the seat. He held a roadshow recently that got a good response from the people. I believe Godse’s victory depends upon the Modi factor. If it works then he will win, otherwise he is in a difficult situation,” said Sudhir Kulkarni, senior journalist from Nashik.
Unlike in the past, it’s a fight between Maratha candidates this time. Both Godse and Waje are Marathas. Shantigiri Maharaj, a seer who is contesting as an independent candidate and VBA candidate Karan Gaikwad are Marathas too. The community is upset with the way the Mahayuti-led government handled the Maratha reservation agitation.
Other Backward Classes (OBC) form the second largest demographic group in the constituency and are seen as a traditional BJP voter base. Mali, an OBC sub-caste, has close to 1.5 lakh voters. Bhujbal hails from the Mali community and his “humiliation” can impact Mali voters. Dalits and Muslims together have 3.5 lakh votes and will tend to vote against the BJP. Some 1.5 lakh tribals may, however, prefer Godse who is backed by the BJP election machinery and the support of the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.
Except for Sinnar and Igatpuri, the rest of the four assembly constituencies — Nashik East, Nashik West, Nashik Central and Deolali — are mostly urban. Hence unemployment, infrastructure, delay in metro line, insufficient local trains, pending flyover projects and lack of parking space are the issues. Pollution of the Godavari river is another issue.
“Godse as MP did not do much work. He was given ten long years but Nashik is lagging behind in basic infrastructure and amenities. We have no big industries that would help in generating jobs for youth,” said Dinesh Vaishnav, 35, who works as a driver for a travel operator firm.
Laxman Sawji, state BJP spokesperson, stressed that this is a national election. Some people are trying to make it local but that will not happen. “Modiji started his 11-day fast for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony for the Ram temple with a visit to the Kalaram temple in Nashik. He won the polls that very day,” he said.
“Everyone can see the changes brought in the last ten years and the people will not ignore that,” he added.
For Waje, Vijay Karanjkar will create a problem. Uddhav Thackeray had announced his name before the polls but replaced him with Waje. Karanjkar has significant support in areas surrounding Bhagur. He controls the Bhagur municipal council and can dent Shiv Sena (UBT) votes.
Apart from general agrarian distress, farmers in Nashik district are angry against the central government for imposing a ban on the export of onion produce. This led to onion growers suffer losses as they did not get appropriate prices for their produce. Nashik district is known for the cultivation of onion and grapes among other crops.