Pune: The narrative of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance to shift the Lok Sabha polls in the state from local bigwigs to a battle between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi has left at least six leaders to either jump ship or enter the election fray as an independent, disturbing the poll arithmetic of their original parties.
The long list of ticket seekers is making matters worse for Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
On Monday, Congress ticket aspirant Vishal Patil dug his heels in to enter the fray for Sangli and revolted against the MVA alliance candidate wrestler Chandrahar Patil. Patil, the grandson of stalwart Congressman and late CM Vasantdada Patil, said, “Though Sangli is a bastion of the Congress, it was given to alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) that does not have major presence here. As the alliance failed to endorse me, I have decided to fight election as an independent.”
The Sangli seat will see the contest between Chandrahar from Shiv Sena (UBT), Sanjay Kaka Patil (BJP) and Patil (Independent). The seat saw a triangular fight in 2019 between Congress, BJP and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) with the saffron party winning the constituency by more than 1.60 lakh votes. Political observers said that like the previous polls, rebellion of Patil could lead to vote split.
In Madha, BJP is facing an uphill task after it denied ticket to Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil and picked existing MP Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar. Dhairyasheel along with his uncle and former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and filed his nomination papers. Dhairyasheel’s defection has left a blow to the Mahayuti alliance with BJP leader and Solapur district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil admitting at a workers’ meet that recent political shifts have made the Madha contest tougher and, later, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis promptly affirming BJP’s optimism to win the constituency.
{{/usCountry}}In Madha, BJP is facing an uphill task after it denied ticket to Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil and picked existing MP Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar. Dhairyasheel along with his uncle and former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil joined the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and filed his nomination papers. Dhairyasheel’s defection has left a blow to the Mahayuti alliance with BJP leader and Solapur district guardian minister Chandrakant Patil admitting at a workers’ meet that recent political shifts have made the Madha contest tougher and, later, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis promptly affirming BJP’s optimism to win the constituency.
{{/usCountry}}Political observers said that BJP’s Ranjitsinh Naik-Nimbalkar won by around 80,000 votes in 2019 with the support of the Mohite-Patils, and the switching side could change the outcome of election.
In Amravati, Mahayuti sees rebellion after BJP picked sitting MP Navneet Rana. Rana faces a formidable challenge, as local BJP unit, Sena and NCP oppose the candidate, purportedly due to perceived high-handedness. A smaller outfit, Prahar Janshakti Paksh led by MLA Bachchu Kadu, has nominated Dinesh Boob against Rana, whose other opponents are Balwant Wankhade of Congress and Dalit leader Anandaraj Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar.
Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul has decided not to work for Rana. NCP district head Sanjay Khodke has threatened legal action if Rana uses his image in her campaign. Fadnavis has been actively working to quell tension in Amravati.
As Ahmednagar went to BJP as part of Mahayuti seat-sharing plan, miffed NCP MLA Nilesh Lanke joined the Sharad Pawar faction and entered the poll fray to face saffron party’s Sujay Vikhe Patil. Though Lanke filed his nomination in a low-key manner, his election narrative “Dhanshakti (money power) v/s Janshakti (people’s power)” has found many supporters.
Bajarang Sonawane, supported by Ajit Pawar’s NCP, joined the Sharad Pawar faction after the Beed seat was given to BJP. He faces BJP’s Pankaja Munde.
These candidates, having felt sidelined by their respective parties, have opted to challenge the status quo, thus complicating the electoral dynamics. Their decision to switch party or contest as an independent threatens to fragment the traditional support base of their parties, potentially eating away crucial votes.
The emergence of rebel candidates underscores growing dissatisfaction within party ranks and raises questions about internal cohesion and decision-making processes. Their candidacy could split the vote share, leading to unforeseen challenges for both BJP and Congress in securing victories in their respective constituencies.
As the election approaches, the focus will be on how the rebel candidates navigate the electoral landscape and whether they can indeed play spoilsport for their former parties.