Maharashtra elections: These families were once allies, they're now foes

In Maharashtra, family rivalries intensify as brothers and a father-daughter duo clash in elections, revealing deep political and personal divisions

NAGPUR and MUMBAI: The political battlefield of Vidarbha has ignited intense rivalries, where ambition frequently clashes with family ties. Brothers, once inseparable, now stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum, while a father prepares to face off against his daughter, each vying for a seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

Bhagyashree Atram-Halgekar of the NCP (SP) will take on her father Dharmaraobaba Atram in Aheri

In Gadchiroli’s Aheri, four-time MLA and Maharashtra Food and Drugs minister, Dharamraobaba Atram, fielded by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), is being challenged by his daughter and former zilla parishad president, Bhagyashree Atram-Halgekar, of the NCP (SP).

In Saoner, Congress rebel and independent candidate, Dr Amol Deshmukh, is locked in battle with his brother and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Dr Ashish Deshmukh, while Yayati Manohar Naik is being challenging his younger brother and NCP nominee, Indranil Manohar Naik in Pusad.

The two Deshmukhs are the sons of former Maharashtra minister and former state Congress president, Ranjit Deshmukh, while the Naiks are the sons of former Maharashtra minister, Manohar Naik, who has represented Pusad four times.

The Atrams, who hail from the Aheri royal family, are engaged in a fierce contest. With Atram’s nephew Ambarish entering the fray as an Independent, the contest has become an all-family, triangular political feud. Aheri is a Maoist-affected tehsil town in tribal-dominated Gadchiroli district. Ambarish, a former BJP minister, failed to get a ticket from the BJP owing to alliance compulsions.

“It is treachery. I don’t trust my daughter and son-in-law. These people have ditched me,” said Dharmaraobaba, who accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar of playing divisive politics by driving wedges in political parties. Now, at the end of his career, he’s creating rifts within families, he alleged.

“Bhagyashree is committing political suicide by fighting against me. I know the world is talking about this father-daughter rift, but I am also aware that there’s a history in the state,” said an unfazed Dharmaraobaba, who is vying for the seat for the fifth time. “I have four decades of experience,” he said. “I have helped pave the way for development in Aheri and also ensured that Ladki Bahin benefits reach the last woman in the district,” he said.

Equally confident of taking on her father, Bhagyashree said, “When my father was abducted by Naxalites, it was Sharad Pawar saheb, the then chief minister, who secured his release.” Maoists had abducted Dharmaraobaba in 1991 and later released him in exchange for the release of hardcore Maoist, Shivanna, from jail.

Bhagyashree, who was mentored and ushered into politics by her father, minced no words, saying, “Emotions will not hold me back. There is no looking back now. I am not at all bothered about whom I am contesting against. This fight will be against an opponent, regardless of who it is,” she said.

In Saoner, Dr Amol Deshmukh has filed his nomination as an Independent after being denied a ticket by the Congress, which has nominated Anuja Kedar, wife of former Maharashtra minister Sunil Kedar. Sunil is unable to contest the elections due to his recent conviction in a multi-crore cooperative bank scam. Dr Amol Deshmukh had contested the 2019 assembly elections from Ramtek but was unsuccessful. His elder brother, Dr Ashish Deshmukh, who won the 2014 state elections from Katol, is now contesting from Saoner as a BJP candidate. Ashish will face off against his younger brother Amol, and the Congress nominee, Anuja Kedar, in the ensuing elections.

In Pusad, Yayati Naik, the elder son of former minister Manohar Naik, made a strong bid to secure a ticket from the NCP (SP). However, with the party nominating Sharad Maid, Yayati is now running as an Independent against Maid, and his younger brother, Indranil, a sitting MLA with the NCP.

Pusad has long been a stronghold of the Naik family. They are backed by the Banjara community, whose support could be a deciding factor in the race being fought here. Manohar Naik is the nephew of the late Vasantrao Naik, a former Maharashtra chief minister, who represented Pusad six times, from 1952 to 1980. Manohar’s brother Sudharkarrao Naik also served as chief minister and represented the constituency four times. Currently, Indranil is the MLA from Pusad, while his father, Manohar, has won from Pusad four times—once as a Congress nominee and three times as an NCP candidate.

Family is battling family elsewhere in the state as well. In Kannad, in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Harshavardhan Jadhav, former MLA is contesting against his estranged wife Sanjana Jadhav. Sanjana alias Ranjana is the daughter of former Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve, and is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket against her husband against the backdrop of a family feud that has been playing out for years.

Harshavardhan Jadhav, son of former MLAs Raibhan Jadhav and Tejaswini Jadhav, was a two-time MLA from Kannad. He won his first election as a candidate of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, while in his next term, he represented the Shiv Sena. He won the Lok Sabha election in 2019, defeating Shiv Sena candidate Chandrakant Khaire. Jadhav, who had resigned as MLA in July 2018 in support of the Maratha reservation issue, has been known for his ‘eccentric’ decisions.

In his election affidavit filed with his candidature filed last week, Jadhav stated that he has been ‘separated and is not yet divorced’. According to people close to the family, Raosaheb Danve ensured a ticket for his daughter to teach his estranged son-in-law a lesson.

Sanjana said, “The Shiv Sena has a strong cadre base in the constituency and party workers were insistent on me contesting as a Sena candidate. The people are happy with the performance of the state government and I am sure of victory.”