Ties that bind: How bloodlines and marital unions influence Maha politics

The influence of family ties in Maharashtra's politics is deep-rooted, shaping alliances and power dynamics across parties, with a focus on dynastic successions.

MUMBAI: While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to sustain its pitch against the sway of dynastic politics in India, and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena matches the tenor in the state, there is no denying that family ties in Maharashta, especially in the western parts, revolves around nati-goti (blood relations), sage-soyare (extended families) and pavhae-ravale (relatives from in-laws).

**EDS: FILE IMAGE** Mumbai: In this Monday, Dec. 30, 2019 file photo, NCP leader Ajit Pawar with wife Sunetra Pawar at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's wife and the NCP's probable candidate from the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency Sunetra Pawar met Congress veteran and Sharad Pawar's old rival Anantrao Thopte, at his home in Bhor on Friday, said his son and local Congress MLA Sangram Thopte. (PTI Photo/Mitesh Bhuvad) (PTI03_02_2024_000276A) (PTI)

This quest to keep the forces of power within a family and bring about expansion, said historian and researcher Sanjay Sonawani, dates back to the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji. “Seven of the eight marriages by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were in families related to mighty Maratha chieftains to ensure benefits to his dream of Swarajya. In the present scenario, all political families see to it that their interests are safeguarded through relations of blood and marriage. Though these links are used in the democratic set up, they do promote a feudal system.”

Closer in time – in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, all eyes are on the state’s sugar bowl – Baramati -- where battle lines are drawn between two factions from the Pawar family. The pocket borough’s sitting MP Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar) will face her sister-in-law and cousin Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra (Nationalist Congress Party) for the first time.

Founder of the undivided NCP Sharad Pawar’s family shares strong ties with Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) as his older sister Saroj was married to senior PWP leader the late ND Patil. Today, PWP stands strongly behind Pawar in its strongholds such as Solapur and Raigad.

Sunetra, on the other hand, is the sister of senior NCP leader from Dharashiv (Osmanabad) Padmasinha Patil, a sugar baron and a key player in the cooperative sector. Padmasinha, once a close Pawar aide, was minister for years in the state cabinet -- in that duration, there were allegations of law-making agencies “going easy” on him in the case of his adopted brother Pawanraje Nimbalkar’s killing in June 2006, where he was a prime accused. Padmasinha’s daughter-in-law and wife of BJP MLA Ranajagjitsinha Patil is the Osmanabad LS candidate representing the Ajit Pawar-led faction of NCP.

NCP (SP) state unit chief Jayant Patil’s (who hails from Sangli) sister Usha is married to five-term MLA from Rahuri constituency in Ahmednagar Prasad Tanpure. Tanpure’s son Prajakt was made a junior minister in Uddhav Thackeray government in 2019, despite being a first-time MLA. “Patil at the time put his foot down against his nephew being a part of the cabinet. Both families use their matrimonial ties in Ahmednagar and Sangli for electoral politics -- right from the village level to the cooperative entities they control,” said an NCP leader.

In the 2003 bypolls, when Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde was made chief minister, he was not a member of the Assembly; minister Anandrao Devkate vacated his Assembly seat for Shinde. Devkate was fielded in the Lok Sabha elections bypoll for the Solapur constituency which was vacated by Shinde. That year, the BJP fielded Prataprao Mohite-Patil, brother of then deputy chief minister and NCP leader Vijaysinh Mohite Patil against Devkate. Vijaysinh (then deputy CM) ensured the NCP machinery in the district stood by his brother to defeat his political boss Sushilkumar’s candidate Devkate.

In Ahmednagar, Satyajeet Tambe, member of legislative council, is senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat’s nephew. When Tambe could not secure a seat from the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine he was fielded as an independent from the Nashik graduate constituency in February 2023, with Thorat throwing his weight behind him. Thorat defied the “alliance dharma” to ensure his nephew’s victory which hurt the numbers of the Shiv Sena candidate. Before Satyajeet, his father Sudhir who is married to Durga, sister of Balasaheb Thorat, was made an MLC backed by Thorat’s clout.

The two families control multiple cooperative organisations including sugar factories, milk societies and help each other in politics.

In Sangli, late Congress leader from the district Patangrao Kadam played an important role in securing a legislative council seat from Pune local bodies for his son-in-law Chandukaka Jagtap in 2004. In 2014, Patangrao’s son Vishwajit contested Pune Lok Sabha. He was helped by the Jagtaps in Pune, although he lost the election. Vishwajit’s cousin Vikaramsinh Sawant is an MLA from Sangli’s Jat. Vishwajeet is the MLA from another Sangli constituency, Palus-Kadegaon.

In Marathwada, former chief minister Ashok Chavan has matrimonial ties with former MP Bhaskarrao Khatgoankar. In 2009, when Chavan was the chief minister of the state, he ensured Khatgaonkar’s victory from Lok Sabha constituency. Chavan’s elder sister Taramati is married to Khatgaonkar. Khatgaonkar’s daughter-in-law Meenal aspired to be fielded from the Nanded Lok Sabha constituency as a BJP candidate, counting on Chavan’s blessings, who joined the party in February this year.

In Aurangabad, another district in Marathwada, BJP-Shiv Sena’s official candidate Chandrakant Khaire faced defeat in 2019 because of split in votes because as Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s Harshavardhan Jadhav joined the fray – he polled 2.84 lakh votes, which resulted in Khaire’s defeat by AIMIM’s Imtiyaz Jalil by just 4492 votes. It is believed Jadhav’s father-in-law and union minister Raosaheb Danve tacitly diverted Maratha votes to him.

Vrushali Shinde, wife of Kalyan MP Shrikant and son of chief minister Eknath Shinde, is the former state minister Ramdas Kadam’s niece. It is believed that this is one of the reasons why Kadam decided to stand by Shinde, after the split in Shiv Sena in 2022.

“The families with matrimonial ties ensure power remains within and its benefits are extended politically. Thousands of voters are affiliated to sugar factories, educational institutions they control with their links in adjoining districts. These family ties are used to divert votes when occasion presents itself,” said a senior Congress leader. “For instance, when Vishwajeet Kadam contested the 2014 LS polls, Bharati University’s network in western Maharashtra, including Pune, was roped in for campaign activities, sending a clear message that the numbers in Pune would tilt in Kadam’s favour. Similarly, PWP is standing by Sharad Pawar in Solapur, Pune and Raigad, at a time when his party is facing a challenging time in politics.”

Social activist Kumar Saptarshi, said that there was pressure on Ajit Pawar for switching sides after Sunetra Pawar’s brother’s family joined BJP five years ago. “The upper caste Marathas have controlled power for years, while the poor caste Marathas’ lot did not improve – this divide birthed Manoj Jarange –Patil’s agitation. Upper caste and lower caste Marathas do not marry within communities. These families ensure that the power and wealth is kept withing the families,” he said.