When British historian Patrick French was researching the Indian political system for India: A Portrait, he discovered the majority of MPs under 35 were related to politicians. Now, a detailed study reveals that in Maharashtra, the tally of political families in which more than one member had access to tickets for contesting elections is 140 out of 288 Assembly seats. Political big wheels are only a handful; the majority are families known only within their territorial boundaries that are demarcated by their tremendous influence and power. “The basic premise of this study is that dynastic rule continues in India even after Independence as politicians want only their genes to inherit power,” says Dr Uday Nirdgudkar, marketing researcher and psephologist who has compiled the data.
Most Maharashtra Assembly constituencies are run by at least one political family. In Aheri, in the tribal district of Gadchiroli, winner Deepak Atram and NCP’s Dharmaraobaba Atram who lost to the former in 2009 belongs to the royal family, of which Raje Vishveshwar Rao Atram was the first MP. State Excise Minister Ganesh Naik’s family absolutely dominates Navi Mumbai. While Naik, the patriarch of the political family, is an MLA from Belapur, his younger son Sandeep is the MLA from neighbouring Airoli; elder son Sanjeev Naik is the MP from Thane that encompasses both the Assembly constituencies of Navi Mumbai. His nephew Sagar is Mayor of Navi Mumbai: even the civic body remains in the hands of the Naiks.
Even the Leftist party—Peasants and Workers Party (PWP)—of Raigad is dynasty-driven. Three-time PWP MLA Meenakshi Patil has inherited her father Prabhakar Patil and uncle Dattatray Patil’s skills. Her brother Jayant Patil is elected to the state Legislative Council on behalf of the PWP. Meenakshi happens to be the third generation in PWP’s family politics as her grandfather Narayan Patil was one of the founder members of the PWP.
In central Mumbai, Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad’s daughter Varsha Gaikwad got elected from Dharavi and is a minister of state. In the city’s western suburbs — Sandeep Dalvi’s father had once been a Shiv Sena MLA, and that had earned him a ticket from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS)—he lost. In the city’s eastern suburbs, Sunil Raut represented the Shiv Sena by virtue of his brother Sanjay Raut, a party MP. When Congress MP from Bandra, Sunil Dutt, died in 2005, daughter Priya Dutt inherited her father’s legacy.
Dr Nirgudkar’s study also reveals several constituencies have been under the sway of one family so long that rival political parties have wooed family members to contest against one another. For instance, Georai, nestled in the sugar belt of Maharashtra in Beed district, has been represented by the Pandit family since 1978, except in 1980. Now Badamrao Pandit is the MLA from the NCP. In 2004, he was defeated by his nephew Amarsinh Pandit who contested on a BJP ticket. Earlier Amarsinh’s father Shivajirao was a three-time MLA.
The Patil-Nilengekar family from Latur district in central Maharashtra is also a political family where the differences within the family were fought on a larger battleground of politics. In 2004, Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was pitted against his grandson Sambhaji Patil who humbled his grandfather who had held fort in this traditional Congress bastion eight times. In 2009, however, the veteran Congress leader won the seat back. Sambhaji’s mother and Shivajirao’s daughter-in-law Roopatai Patil defeated former Union home minister Shivraj Patil to become the Latur MP in 2004 on a BJP ticket. “Major drawbacks of political dynasties are that they offer fewer choices to the voters, thereby curtailing the birth of new ideologies and fresh talent. It also means that it is not easy for an ordinary person to contest and win elections,” said Dr Nirgudkar.
According to Dr Arunda Pendse, associate professor of politics in the University of Mumbai, the number of political families in Maharashtra may be on the higher side owing to their feudal legacy, particularly in the western region that had big landholders. The older families have efficiently managed to adapt to new political order by leveraging their social clout to gain political power, said Dr Pendse. These influential families have diversified into co-operative sectors and built education empires. “Political, social and economic powers go hand in hand. These families have taken to politics as a means to safeguard their other interests,” said Dr Pendse. In Maharashtra, family comes before politics.