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Guess work starts as polls

in Maharashtra get over

Many political experts consider it a herculean task for the BJP-Shiv Sena combine to
Hard replicate 2014 because odds are against them in view of the absence of any ‘Modi wave’,
LIne rural distress, youth unemployment and MNS chief’s campaigning against the alliance

Anil Singh ith polling to remaining 17 amongst the new generation of leaders
Lok Sabha seats over on from the state’s political families during the
April 29 in the fourth and recently-held Lok Sabha election and this
The columnist is final phase, polling to all pattern has been reportedly transformed
Executive Editor of W 48 parliamentary seats of into ambitious and even aggressive actions
News24 news Maharashtra is over and the final outcome in the past couple of months. Induction of
channel. The views on May 23 is awaited anxiously by all and Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil into the BJP
here expressed are the sundry. It is a guessing game for anyone to occurred at a time when his father’s party,
author’s own whether the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will be the Congress was engaged in a fierce strug-
able to replicate its 2014 performance when gle against the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance
the alliance had secured 41 of the 48 Lok and also spurred senior Vikhe Patil to resign
Sabha seats in the state. from the Congress. The NCP chief Sharad
Many experts concede that it would be a Pawar had reportedly to make way for his
herculean task for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance grand-nephew and Ajit’s son, Parth.
to replicate 2014 because odds are against According to observers of Maharashtra
them in view of the absence of any ‘Modi politics, at least a third of the 48 Lok Sabha
wave’, rural distress, youth unemployment, constituencies in the state have at least one
emergence of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi member of a political family contesting.
under Prakash Ambedkar and MNS chief Interestingly, as some experts opine, virtu-
Raj Thackrey’s campaigning against the BJP- ally every district in western Maharashtra
Shiv Sena combine. This scenario reminds of has its own political family to reckon with;
Amitabh Bachchan’s famous dialogue from and each family tends to be proximate to
his movie Agnipath: <Hava bahut tez chal the power-hub or ruling parties to ensure
rahi hai. Dinkar Rao topi sambhalo>, (Air is the safety of their family interests thereby
blowing very fast, Dinkar Rao, take care of making political power imperative for their
your cap). business interests to thrive on as well as pav-
Having won 41 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats ing way for the induction of next generation
by the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in the 2014 into politics.
General Election, the alliance suffered a loss NCP state chief Jayant Patil and Congress
in the by-poll and the BJP had 22 seats, Shiv leader Pratik Patil hail from a family with
Sena had 18 seats, the NCP had five seats, the strong presence in politics and coopera-
Congress had two seats and the remaining tive sector in Sangli. The tussle for control
one seat was held by the Swabhiman Paksha over district politics between two families
in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Many critics have surfaces regularly, latest being the corpo-
opined that at the current juncture, there is ration election held late last year. Mohite
no Modi wave and the sentiment is against Patils enjoy their bastion in Solapur, with the
the BJP due to agrarian distress, rising un- baton passed on to the next generation. Su-
employment, Dalit unrest and host of other shilkumar Shinde, a former CM, and his MLA
issues contributing to anti-incumbency daughter Praniti have established them-
factor against the NDA-ruled Centre. selves as key leaders in Solapur. Accord-
ing to media reports, in Kolhapur district,
Hierarchical pattern Satej Patil, son of former Bihar governor
Hierarchical pattern is very strongly DY Patil, and MP Dhananjay Mahadik are
discernible in the Maharashtra politics carrying the family legacy forward. Maha-

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