‘Pawar play’ in Western Maharashtra as NCP regains lost grounds

Party’s tally improves from 18 in 2014 state polls to 28 in 2019 assembly elections

Spirited campaign by Sharad Pawar, chief, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), especially the one showing him drenched in rain during a rally in Satara, bore fruits as the party improved its tally in western Maharashtra as compared to 2014 Lok Sabha and state assembly polls.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar addressing media during a press conference in Mumbai, after the results of assembly elections were announced on Thursday. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

Barely six months after the party faced debacle in Lok Sabha polls, NCP regained lost ground in Western Maharashtra with party’s tally improving from 18 in 2014 state assembly polls to 28 in the latest election. In the total 70 seats here BJP won 21, Shiv Sena five, NCP 28, Congress ten and others six.

Pawar, who fought a lonely battle, as his colleagues deserted him, described the party’s performance in western Maharashtra as “positive”. “The outcome shows those who were predicting that my politics is over, did not have much to tell of their own,” Pawar said at a press conference in Mumbai, on Thursday, after the picture was partially clear.

It was a dig at Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) president Amit Shah who had declared that elections will draw curtains on Pawar’s politics.

Be it Pune district or Kolhapur, NCP’s performance was much better as compared to 2014 elections. The BJP’s tally in this region, on the other hand, reduced from 25 to 21. IIn Kolhapur, BJP even failed to get a single seat here. From the total ten seats NCP won two, Congress three, Shiv Sena one, independents two and Jansurajya Shakti one.

According to political observers, Pawar’s unrelenting campaigning-cum-criticism against the BJP sent out a message to his core vote bank, one that spoke of his unending spirit and ability to turn the tide.

One of the crucial factors that worked in NCP’s favour in western Maharashtra, as political observers feel, was the consolidation of Maratha vote bank in Pawar’s favour.

“Especially young voters among Marathas saw Pawar as someone fighting a lonely battle against Delhi and needs to be backed,” said Abhay Deshpande, a political analyst.

The recent floods in Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara and Pune also impacted the outcome of the election as the BJP government failed to tackle the tragedies effectively. “Impact of flood in the outcome was there. But, better coordination and the right choice of candidates also helped the NCP bring in momentum among its workers,” said Deshpande.

Analysing its performance in western Maharashtra, Pawar in a press conference, Pawar said the people rejected politics pursued by BJP. “The people did not like the way this government or BJP put up its side.”

Among the other upsets, BJP minister in the outgoing cabinet Ram Shinde lost to Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar in Ahmednagar’s Karjat-Jamkhed seat.

In Sangamner, Congress state unit chief Balasaheb Thorat won by a margin of 62,252 votes against Shiv Sena’s Sahebrao Navale.

In Akole, Vaibhav Pichad, who along with father Madhukar Pichad had shifted to BJP, lost to Kiran Lahamate of Congress.

In Shirdi, former Congress leader and BJP nominee Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil won by a margin of 87,024 against Congress’ Suresh Thorat.

In Satara, former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan won against Atul Bhosale of BJP. In Solapur central, Praniti Shinde won the election against nearest rival Dilip Mane of Shiv Sena.