MUMBAI: The fate of scions of three high-profile political dynasties of Maharashtra will be decided in the third phase on April 23 — NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule in Baramati, senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s son Sujay Vikhe-Patil in Ahmednagar and former chief minister Narayan Rane’s son Nilesh Rane in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
Among other bigwigs whose prestige is at stake in this round of polling are state BJP president Raosaheb Danve (Jalna); descendant of Maratha King Shivaji, Udayanraje Bhosle (Satara); and Union minister Anant Geete (Raigad).
Fourteen seats spread over parts of north and western Maharashtra, Konkan and Marathwada are scheduled to vote on April 23. In 2014, the BJP had won six of these seats, followed by NCP (4) and Shiv Sena (3) while one seat went to Raju Shetti’s Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS).
Ten of these 14 seats are in the ‘sugar belt’ of Maharashtra, where NCP’s influence will be on test as the BJP-Shiv Sena combine is pulling out all stops to increase its footprint in a region that has long been considered Sharad Pawar’s bastion.
BJP has roped in SSS MLA Rahul Kul’s wife Kanchan Kul against sitting MP Supriya Sule in Baramati. Sule had won the seat in 2014, but with a drastically reduced mandate. Retaining it would be a challenge for her this time. She very well realises this and has upped her efforts, beginning her campaign well in advance.
In Madha and Kolhapur, too, the NCP’s influence will be tested. After cancelling his plan to contest from Madha, Pawar denied ticket to party MP Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil or his son Ranjeetsinh from the seat, prompting them to switch over to the saffron camp.
The NCP nominated former BJP leader and Mohite-Patil baiter Sanjay Shinde from the constituency. To counter the move, BJP has fielded Congress turncoat Ranjeetsinh Naik-Nimbalkar, spicing up the contest.
In Kolhapur, too, incumbent MP NCP’s Dhananjay Mahadik is facing a tough contest against Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Mahadik. Ally Congress’s MLA Satej Patil’s support to Sanjay is NCP’s big headache here.
Ahmednagar is in limelight after Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil’s son walked over to the BJP and got the party ticket. He is pitted against NCP’s Sangram Jagtap.
The Shiv Sena has dominated the Konkan belt for a long time, sweeping the three districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg in 2014 also.
Geete, however, is facing a tough challenge from former NCP state chief Sunil Tatkare in Raigad this time, while Vinayak Raut is being challenged by former MP Nilesh Rane of the Maharashtra Swabhiman Party in Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
Congress candidate Navinchandra Bandivadekar had landed in a controversy for links with Sanatan Sanstha.
Raju Shetti, who won from Hatkanangle as part of NDA in 2014 is now facing a challenge from Sena’s Dhairyashil Mane.
He has received support from the Congress-NCP combine. He also wrested the Sangli seat from the Congress-NCP alliance where late chief minister Vasantdada Patil’s grandson Vishal Patil is facing BJP’s sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patil.
In Pune, BJP’s Girish Bapat faces Mohan Joshi, former Congress city chief and MLC, while in Satara NCP’s Udayan Raje will take on Shiv Sena’s Narendra Patil. All these contests are likely to go in favour of incumbents.
In Pune as well as in Jalgaon and Ahmednagar, the BJP dropped sitting MPs. In Jalgaon, the party replaced AT Nana Patil with sitting MLA Unmesh Pati, who will fight NCP’s Gulabrao Deokar.
Tough contest for ten seats
As many as 10 of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra, which are going to polls in the third phase on April 23, are in the crucial sugar belt
BJP targets opposition using animation
The BJP on Sunday took to animation videos to mock Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders with a series of animated clips to accuse them of seeking proof of the Balakot terror strike and assert Modi’s invincibility against a fragmented challenge in Lok Sabha polls.
The videos, released through the saffron party’s official Twitter handle, sought to draw analogies from sports to show “confusion” and differences among the opposition parties.
Deora booked for a poll code violation
A case was filed against the Congress’ Mumbai South Lok Sabha candidate Milind Deora at Lokmanya Tilak Marg police station on the direction of the Election Commission for violation of the model code of conduct, an official said on Sunday.
Deora, while campaigning in Zaveri Bazar area on April 4, had made an appeal to the Jain community to not vote for the Shiv Sena as it had hurt their religious sentiments earlier.
