Seat of defections and power, all eyes on the tug-of-war in western Maharashtra

BJP and Shiv Sena see western Maharashtra as the key to further consolidating its base; the NCP is facing one of its toughest battles

With dates for the assembly elections announced on Saturday, the eyes of most political players are on Mumbai – Maharashtra’s seat of power, however, there is substantial focus on western Maharashtra as well.

With dates for the assembly elections announced on Saturday, the eyes of most political players are on Mumbai – Maharashtra’s seat of power, however, there is substantial focus on western Maharashtra as well. (HT FILE)

Having established a complete grip over Vidarbha, Marathwada and Konkan, the BJP and Shiv Sena see western Maharashtra as the key to further consolidating its base. It is for the same reason Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has personally focused excessively on this region, ensuring defections of NCP-Congress stalwarts to the BJP.

“Western Maharashtra matters to all parties as the region is rich with a network of industries, cooperatives and educational institutions. Anyone who wants to rule the state cannot ignore western Maharashtra, once known to be the power centre,” said Chitra Lele, professor of political science, SNDT university.

At the heart of BJP’s assembly plan has been Satara and Solapur, where party engineered the maximum defections - two sitting legislators and an MP from Satara; and three senior leaders from Solapur. In 2014, BJP did not get single seat in Satara, while in Kolhapur, the party won only two seats.

From a negligible presence in 2009, the party made strong inroads in 2014, winning 25 seats from six districts- Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur and Ahmednagar. The big boost was the BJP’s performance in urban areas, such as Pune city, where it won all eight seats.

The NCP is facing one of its toughest battles. For over 15 years, NCP ruled the state with the Congress, as it maintained a strong grip over western Maharashtra. To regain the region, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, soon turning 80, has undertaken a tour of this region to prove his mettle once again. “I have already told my family that you take care of home, I will take care of the others,” said Pawar at a recent meeting in Solapur.

For the Congress, which once enjoyed considerable clout in this region, it is rapidly turning into a fringe player as it has been usurped by the BJP-Shiv Sena or NCP. While Congress does not have any representation from this region in the Lok Sabha, it won 11 seats in the 2014 polls. The party’s two most important faces – former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat – hail from western Maharashtra.

As for the Sena, the party got real impetus in the 2014 polls when it won 13 seats here. During the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Sena won four seats following which its chief Uddhav Thackeray has decided to focus on this region.