Third front, smaller parties could spell trouble for MVA in Maharashtra polls

Swabhimani Paksha chief Raju Shetti has held meetings with farmer leader Wamanrao Chatap, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel and BRS chief Shankar Dhondage

MUMBAI: Even as the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) gears up for the crucial assembly elections, smaller parties are getting ready to queer the pitch. At least a half a dozen parties with pockets of influence in the state have announced their plans to go solo or form a third front.

Raju Shetti met the members of Swabhiani Shetkari Sanghatana for to draw out plan for upcoming elections at Buntara Bhavan in Pune. (Photo by Sanket Wankhade/HT PHOTO)

MNS chief Raj Thackeray was the first to announce his two candidates on Monday, one being Bala Nandgaonkar from Shivadi, a traditional Shiv Sena stronghold in Central Mumbai. By doing so, he has made his intentions clear: to damage his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray wherever possible. Hours later, Prakash Ambedkar, who leads the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), declared that the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena was the “real” Sena and voters had accepted it if the Lok Sabha results were any indication.

As if these developments were not enough, Swabhimani Paksha chief Raju Shetti has been working to bring smaller parties together. He has held meetings with farmer leader Wamanrao Chatap, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel and Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) chief Shankar Dhondage, and wants them to join hands for a third front.

“All of us like-minded leaders working for the cause of farmers and the poor are coming together,” said Shetti. “We held a meeting with Jarange-Patil too but he is still unsure. We will take a call on the third front in the next one month. It will be a leaderless front with collective responsibility. We are in talks with the VBA as well.”

In Marathwada, the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) led by former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has reportedly offered to support the third front in ‘mobilising resources’. “The BRS has identified Yashpal Bhinge and Suresh Gaikwad for Mudkhed and Deglur constituencies in Nanded,” said a BRS leader. “If a third front of smaller parties could have an impact in Marathwada, it could negate Jarange-Patil’s impact to some extent unlike in the Lok Sabha polls.” This could affect the prospects of the MVA in the region where it is expecting to win maximum seats.

In Buldhana, Ravikant Tupkar, a farmer leader and former associate of Shetti, is set to contest the Sindhkhed Raja seat. Tupkar fought from Buldhana in the LS polls, and his 2.49 lakh votes cut into Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Narendra Khedekar’s prospects against Shinde Sena candidate Prataprao Jadhav and led to his defeat. Tupkar is also likely to field a couple more candidates in the district.

In another Vidarbha district, Amravati, the Bachchu Kadu-led Prahar Janashakti Party (PJP), which is part of the ruling Mahayuti, has announced that it will contest independently. In the Lok Sabha polls, the PJP had cut into the votes of Congress candidate Balwant Wankhade by fielding its candidate. The party could play spoilsport in the assembly elections too.

Raju Shetti had polled 1.80 lakh votes in the Hatkanangale LS constituency, cutting into the votes of Shinde Sena candidate Dhairyasheel Mane, who won by just 13,426 votes. The VBA polled 1.6 million (or 2.8%) votes in the polls and has the ability to dent the MVA’s prospects as both share the same vote bank.

“The ruling alliance got just 17 seats owing to the Muslim, Dalit, Maratha and farmer votes going away,” said a Shinde Sena leader. “The third front parties have a stronghold among these classes in a few pockets. With the MNS denting the prospects of the Sena (UBT) in Mumbai, MMR and Konkan and the AIMIM doing this in Muslim-dominated constituencies, the Mahayuti could benefit from the front.”

The leader also pointed out that the difference between the ruling and opposition combines in the assembly polls would not be more than 25 seats. “In such a close fight, a third front could work in our favour,” he said.

A Maratha leader from Marathwada pointed at Prakash Ambedkar’s changed stand towards Jarange-Patil. “Ambedkar offered to join hands with him before the LS polls,” he said. “Now he has changed his stand and opposed the inclusion of Marathas in the OBC quota. This will play in favour of the ruling parties.”

When asked about the ruling alliance benefitting from the third front, Shetti said, “The parties in the opposing alliances have fought each other in 2019 and later sided with parties from the opposite combine. Both these combines and their leaders have ensured that smaller parties are decimated. The BJP-led alliance never treated Mahadev Jankar and Vinayak Mete well, while the MVA pitted candidates against me in the Lok Sabha polls, fought the teachers constituency election against the Lok Bharati candidate and ensured the defeat of the PWP’s Jayant Patil in the council elections last month. When they are not bothered about the smaller parties, why should we be?”