A familiar cast in Maharashtra polls

Maharashtra assembly poll nominations closed, with major alliances facing "friendly fights." Dynasties dominate, limiting new candidates' chances.

The deadline to file nominations for the Maharashtra assembly polls ended on Tuesday. The two major alliances in the fray — the incumbent Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and Shiv Sena-UBT (Uddhav Thackeray) — have claimed that there is a consensus among allies on all 288 seats. The fact is that in nearly a dozen seats, “friendly fights” look inevitable though political managers are working on rebels to respect coalition dharma and withdraw from the contest.

The smaller parties have received a raw deal with the three big parties in both the alliances cornering almost all the seats (ANI)

However, a scan of the candidates reveals two trends. One, the smaller parties have received a raw deal with the three big parties in both the alliances cornering almost all the seats. Two, the political landscape in Maharashtra continues to be dominated by dynasties across parties and ideologies. Both suggest the churn in Maharashtra that caused splits in parties and rejigging of alliances has not fundamentally altered the grid of electoral politics in the state: Two national parties (the BJP and Congress) and two regional groupings (the NCP and Shiv Sena factions) shape the discourse, and clan/kinship is central to political power.

Smaller parties may influence the outcome if the polls turn out to be a close affair, which is likely since the elections are taking place in a fragmented polity and with neither alliance managing to set a narrative. Parties such as the Ambedkarite outfit, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (4.6% votes share in the 2019 assembly elections), All India Majlis E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Samajwadi Party, Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWPI), and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (2.3% vote share in 2019) have the potential to grab enough votes to influence the outcome.

The other major trend of political dynasties grabbing election nominations is not exclusive to Maharashtra, but their presence has stymied the entry of new and independent candidates. Sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, cousins, in-laws etc. have been fielded by the dynasts to protect “family turfs”. The Pawars and Thackerays are the best-known political dynasties, but there are many others whose second and third generations are now contesting polls. The rural political economy continues to be rooted in the cooperative sector, which explains the hold of families. Succession battles and clash of ambitions within dynasties have led to splits within parties, but have not opened up the political space to new actors or ideas. Which is why there appears to be a sense of deja vu about the Maharashtra elections.