Parbhani: Two strong candidates make this a close Lok Sabha poll fight

Close contest in Parbhani, Maharashtra between Shiv Sena's Sanjay Jadhav and Mahayuti candidate Mahadev Jankar. Maratha vote may decide outcome on April 26.

Parbhani: Parbhani in central Maharashtra is witnessing a close contest between sitting Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay alias Bandu Jadhav and Dhangar leader Mahadev Jankar who has been fielded as the Mahayuti candidate. The constituency has seen some high voltage campaigning – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uddhav Thackeray addressed rallies here.

Mahadev Jankar has refuted the allegations (HT File Photo)

Both the candidates are strong – the Sena goes back a long time in Parbhani and Jankar has a base of his own here. The polarisation of the Maratha vote may only make the contest only closer in the constituency that goes to polls on April 26.

Sanjay alias Bandu Jadhav is a two-term MP while Jankar is a Dhangar leader and head of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) who is contesting on the party’s whistle symbol. Jankar had been eyeing Madha in western Maharashtra and Parbhani in Marathwada and had been negotiating with the ruling as well as opposition combines. As soon as the Sharad Pawar-led NCP offered him Madha, the ruling alliance offered him Parbhani, and allotted the seat from Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Jankar however refused to contest on the NCP ticket and symbol and filed his nomination as the candidate of the RSP that he heads. The Dhangar leader was eyeing the two constituencies owing to the dominance of his caste in these constituencies.

Sanjay Jadhav said that the ruling alliance accommodated Jankar in Parbhani to safeguard Madha and Baramati constituencies in western Maharashtra. “His candidature here is to polarise and draw Dhangar votes elsewhere in Maharashtra and in Marathwada. Mahadev Jankar said that he has not met his mother and father for five years. If this is the case, how will he meet his voters if elected to Parliament,” he said.

Jankar has been facing the allegation of being an outsider as he hails originally from western Maharashtra. Countering it, Jankar said, “I am a national leader of a party with a presence in various states including Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. We have given MLAs from Parbhani, Pune and Latur. We polled 1.2% votes in local body elections in Uttar Pradesh. We have members elected in local bodies in Gujarat, Assam and Karnataka. So this allegation is irrelevant. Even my opponent Sanjay Jadhav is not originally from Parbhani.”

Jankar said that he has a big plan to bring development to Parbhani. Modi has called him his younger brother, and there will be no dearth of funds. “I will get 90% of the votes polled in Parbhani as Muslims and dalits are with me. Forty percent of the Marathas will vote for me,” he added.

A BJP leader from Parbhani said Vitekar has been asked by his party to work for the Mahayuti candidate, but he is unlikely to campaign for Jankar wholeheartedly as his political career will be jeopardised if Jankar is elected to Parliament. “Also, Jankar’s party is strong in Parbhani and even has an MLA from Gangakhed. The MLA Ratkagar Gutte has thrown his weight behind Jankar,” he said.

The leader said that the division of the Maratha votes will play in favour of Jankar. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has fielded Panjab Dakh, a Maratha leader. A couple of powerful Maratha leaders such as Samir Dudhgaonkar (independent), son of former MP Ganesh Dudhgaonkar, are also in the fray. The Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Alamgir Mohammed Khan, who was the VBA candidate in the 2019 election and had polled 1.49 lakh votes.

Sanjay Jadhav, the sitting MP who had also served as MLA two terms from one of the Parbhani assembly constituencies, is expected to draw dalit and Muslim votes as the anti-BJP alliance candidate. Further, the Shiv Sena goes back a long time in this constituency. Barring 1998, the Shiv Sena has been holding the seat since 1989 and is one of the constituencies in Marathwada with a strong party base.

Sena made inroads in Marathwada following the movement to rename the Marathwada University between 1978 and 1994. After Shiv Sena inducted Parbhani’s independent MP Ashokrao Deshmukh to its fold in 1989, his symbol bow and arrow became the election symbol of the party across the state.

The constituency has more than 9 lakh OBC voters including 3 lakh dhangars (shepherd community), over 8 lakh Marathas and 4 lakh Muslims and Dalits.

“It is going to be a very close contest in Parbhani, especially after the changed equations post Narendra Modi rally in Parbhani on Saturday. Modi introduced Jankar as his younger brother and praised him, sending out a message that both belong to the same community. This has changed the atmosphere in Jankar’s favour. At the same time it may also go against Jankar as Modi’s rally may polarise Muslim votes against the ruling alliance candidate. Perhaps this is the reason why the proposed rally of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath slated to be held on Wednesday was cancelled,” said a local Shiv Sena leader.

The leader said that Parbhani is perhaps the only district from where MP, MLAs or even district-level office bearers of the Shiv Sena did not leave party during the split in June 2022. “This shows how strong the party is. Our candidate will win this third term even if the margin reduces,” he said.