Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2019: Higher turnout ensures fighting finish to state’s close contests

In Maharashtra, the constituencies that have neck-and-neck fights saw higher turnouts, while those with predictable results saw low turnout. The constituencies reserved

In Maharashtra, the constituencies that have neck-and-neck fights saw higher turnouts, while those with predictable results saw low turnout. The constituencies reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, where the population from the community is in majority, too, witnessed low turnout, which, experts attributed to the discontent among voters for the parties they traditionally vote for.

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The rebellion in about 50 constituencies in the state and close fights in at least a dozen constituencies made some fights interesting. The western and north Maharashtra had many such constituencies – Karvir, Yeola, Maan-Khatav and Karjat-Jamkhed.

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar is contesting against state minister Ram Shinde in Karjat-Jamkhed. In Nawapur (Nandurbar) Shirish Naik of Congress is facing Bharat Gavit of BJP and the tough fight resulted in a high turnout.

In Vidarbha, Congress’s senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar is facing Sena’s Sandeep Gaddamwar (Brahmapuri), Nana Patole is facing BJP’s Parinay Phuke in Sakoli and NCP’s Anil Deshmukh has been pitted against BJP’s Chandrasingh Thakur in Katol. The voting percentage has been high in these constituencies.

Constituencies such as Nagpur South West where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is in the fray or Ballarpur from where finance minister Sudhir Mungatiwar is in the fray saw low turnout owing to the predictable results.

The results of the fight between Pankaja and Dhananjay Munde (Parli), Basavraj Patil and Abhimanyu Pawar (Ausa), Nitesh Rane and Satish Sawant (Kankavli) remain unpredictable. While the fight between BJP’s Nitesh Rane and Shiv Sena’s Satish Sawant, which became the talk of the town, other constituencies including Sawantwadi, Chiplun in the region saw good turnout.

According to political observers, the voter behaviour is linked to the recent floods in three districts of western Maharashtra. The rallies by NCP chief Sharad Pawar received good response in western districts after the floods and the enforcement directorate’s notice to him.

“High voting percentage was seen in constituencies where voters thought a change was possible. Constituencies like Kagal, Karveer, Shirol have seen good turnout,” said a Congress leader from Kolhapur.

The BJP’s decision of not renominating energy minister Chandrashekar Bawankule from Kamathi constituency reportedly disturbed the Teli community (represented by Bawankule), which has sizable votes in many Vidarbha constituencies.

Political analyst Jaidev Dole said, “There is a lot of confusion and discontent among voters, which resulted in low turnout. Those who voted for ruling parties expecting new faces are now made to vote for the same old faces. Voters are angry over drought, water scarcity and unemployment.”

The split between the AIMIM and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi also seems to have disappointed voters from the Scheduled Caste, who do not even see any hope in the Congress and NCP.

“This may have resulted in low turnout in SC constituencies too,” Dole says.

“Low turnout is bad news for the Shiv Sena and BJP,” said a Shiv Sena leader from Marathwada.