Saffron experiment in Maharashtra too? BJP deploys Hindutva card in Kolhapur assembly bypoll

Both sides have gone all out with many prominent leaders from BJP and the three ruling parties participating in the campaign.

Mumbai: In the last leg of the campaign for the bypoll in the north Kolhapur constituency, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) played its Hindutva card saying the constituency had always stood for Hindutva and will favour their candidate. The bypoll which is prestigious for the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), is believed to be a neck-and-neck fight between the Congress and BJP candidates.

Opposition leader in the assembly Devendra Fadnavis held rallies in Kolhapur for two days. (HT PHOTO)

The bypoll will take place on April 12, with Satyajeet Kadam, nephew of former legislator and veteran politician Mahadeorao Mahadik as BJP candidate and Jayashree Jadhav, widow of Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav, as MVA candidate. The counting of the votes will take place on April 16. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Jadhav in December last year.

Both sides have gone all out with many prominent leaders from BJP and the three ruling parties participating in the campaign. Opposition leader in the assembly Devendra Fadnavis, who is believed to be the architect of the party’s victory in recent Goa assembly polls, held rallies in Kolhapur for two days.

During his tour on Sunday, he made a strong Hindutva pitch. Accusing Shiv Sena of compromising on the Hindutva for the sake of the hunger for power, he said the party has adopted ‘pseudo secularism’ by shedding Hindutva. Fadnavis insisted that the constituency had always been known to be a follower of Hindutva ideology. “The political chemistry of the constituency is with us and with the Bhagava (the saffron colour synonymous with Hindutva),” he had said.

CM Uddhav Thackeray hit back at his predecessor and said that BJP’s Hindutva was fake and they tried to create ‘fake Hindu Hriday Samrat’. Thackeray also said that they never let go of Hindutva though they snapped ties with the BJP because of the ditching by the latter.

Insiders from both sides believe that by invoking the Hindutva card, the BJP is checking the response it would get to the religious appeal, especially in the backdrop of the party’s recent victory in four states.

“The party had systematically galvanised the people associated with them over the years. There are pockets of voters who believe in Hindu ideology and may now attract to the BJP. The constituency had always been a stronghold of Shiv Sena, but after the party snapped ties with the BJP, a section of the Sena supporters is upset,” said a BJP leader, requesting to be anonymity.

Political observers also believe that the Shiv Sena will play a vital role in the poll and if the local leaders worked wholeheartedly for the MVA candidate, Jayashree Jadhav, could make it to the Assembly.

“Even in 2014 when Sena and BJP fought separately and against each other, the BJP candidate was thrown to the third position. Sena’s Rajesh Kshirsagar won by more than 21,500 votes. It is a catch-22 situation for Kshirsagar, who was a two-term MLA from the constituency. Chandrakant Jadhav defeated him and he worked for his widow now his political prospects would be in jeopardy in future. It all depends if he and his supporters work for the MVA candidate wholeheartedly,” said a Congress leader.

The leader also added that minister of state and senior Congress leader Satej Patil has tremendous command over the constituency and it is difficult for BJP to wrest the seat from Congress.

Rajesh Kshirsagar said, “The Congress candidate will win the election by 25,000 votes and Shiv Sena will play a major role in it. The orders by our leader Uddhav Thackeray are final for us and he has directed us to work for the MVA candidate. Let BJP play the Hindutva card, but the people of Kolhapur are hardcore followers of Balasaheb Thackeray. We have been getting an overwhelming response to our rallies in north Kolhapur.”

Kolhapur-based political analyst Prakash Pawar said, “The BJP has systematically made inroads in the district, though Satej Patil has unparalleled command over the district. Both the candidates have equal chances of victory.”

Pawar said that if BJP wins the bypoll, it could lead to a major embarrassment for the MVA and could be an indication of a ‘change in the voting pattern’ in the state.