Mumbai: As Maharashtra begins voting for assembly polls on Monday, the Bhartiya Janata Party and its primary ally Shiv Sena are seeking a second term in power. After a sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha elections just a few months ago, the BJP is hoping to replicate the result.
Maharashtra has 288 legislative assembly seats, the second-highest after Uttar Pradesh with 403. In Maharashtra, the BJP is contesting 150 seats, while the Shiv Sena will contest 124. The remaining 14 seats have been distributed to their smaller allies.
The Congress is contesting 146 seats, while its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has fielded its candidates in 117 seats. Another opposition party, which is contesting independently in the state, is the newly floated Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). The party, led by veteran leader and Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s grandson Prakash Ambedkar, is contesting 280 seats.
The Sena-BJP, along with other allies, currently hold 217 seats in the state. The Congress and the NCP have 56 seats and the VBA is making its debut during this election.
Only one round of polling will be held the counting will be carried out three days later on October 24. The state has over 8.9 crore eligible voters, of which 1.17 lakh are service voters.
There are 3,237 candidates in the fray. For the 36 seats in Mumbai, around 333 candidates are contesting.
Development versus nationalist rhetoric
The BJP, going against the usual trend, focussed more on the issues of nationalism and nation-building, on the issues of Kashmir and terrorism. At several rallies, candidates and party leaders flared up communal sentiments by making anti-Muslim and anti-minority statements. The Election Commission has issued showcause notices to several leaders across the state.
BJP’s Mumbai chief Mangal Prabhat Lodha and the Sena candidate from Mumbadevi constituency Pandurang Sakpal were issued showcause notices for claiming that the bombs and bullets used in terrorist attacks and riots were manufactured “in lanes within 5 km” of the campaign venue in Kumbharwada, Mumbadevi on October 16. The constituency has a sizeable Muslim population.
The opposition tore into the BJP for focusing on “non-issues” and dodging the pertinent state questions. In an interview with The Wire, former state chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan asked how the issue of Article 370 and Kashmir is relevant to the problems faced by the voters of Maharashtra. The dilution of Article 370 was one of the primary campaign issues for BJP in the state.
Also Read: For the Maharashtra Polls, BJP’s Big Obsession Has Been … Article 370
In what had begun as a one-sided election, the situation changed as the parties began their campaigns. The BJP campaigned hard, with most of its national leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, touring the state to seek a second term for CM Devendra Fadnavis. The CM himself covered over 230 constituencies.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar turned out to be a star campaigner, addressing several rallies in spite of his failing health. The 79-year-old party chief was seen addressing a rally in Satara district amid heavy rains and the videos went viral on social media. The electoral battle for the 58 seats in the western part of Maharashtra is looked at as a prestige issue. A stronghold of Pawar’s party, the BJP is trying to emerge as a force to reckon with.
NCP president Sharad Pawar addresses a public meeting in rain in Satara district of Maharashtra. Photo: PTI
The Congress and the VBA focussed on local, state-related issues and accused the BJP of not doing enough for the state over the past five years.
The reluctant ally
Although the Sena agreed to share seats and stay in an alliance with the BJP, it has been expressing discontent. The two parties were unable to declare the seat-sharing figures until the last day of filing nominations, fearing backlash from the karyakartas. As expected, a huge number of Sena activists either boycotted or left the party.
Under the seat-sharing agreement, the BJP will get the top post and Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena has demanded the deputy chief minister’s position. Thackeray’s 29-year-old son Aaditya Thackeray, who is contesting election for the first time has been vying for the position. This is also the first time that anyone from the Thackeray family is contesting an election in the five decades since Bal Thackeray founded the party.
Even after entering into an alliance, the Sena continued to take digs at the BJP. The Sena decided to oppose the BJP over the contentious Aarey forest issue and criticised Fadnavis for cutting over 2,000 trees in the forest.
Similarly, senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut criticised the BJP for carrying out a “high-powered” campaign in the state even when it claimed there was no opposition left in the fray.
While the Congress-NCP are in an alliance, the parties did not campaign for each other. Instead, they decided to stick to their own seats.
Prime minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena president Uddhhav Thackeray and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale at an election rally in Mumbai. Photo: PTI/Shashank Parade
Crorepati candidates
According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), over 1,000 candidates fielded by different political parties are crorepatis. ADR has looked into the information revealed in the candidates’ affidavits and has inferred that the BJP-Sena has the maximum number of rich candidates.
For instance, Parag Shah, the BJP candidate from Ghatkopar East constituency, is the richest in the poll fray with declared assets worth Rs 500 crore. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the BJP candidate from Malabar Hill seat, is the second richest with assets worth Rs 440 crore. The Congress’s Sanjay Jagtap is the third richest candidate with assets worth Rs 245 crore.
The study also analysed the criminal records of 3,112 candidates, revealing that as many as 916 (29%) have declared criminal cases against themselves.