Maharashtra is in for an unprecedented Lok Sabha season as they have two rival alliances, each with a Shiv Sena and a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction to choose from. Moreover, these two factions face each other on 15 seats — the Senas on 13 and the NCPs on two.
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In June 2022, Shiv Sena split into two factions after Eknath Shinde revolted, with 14 Sena MPs backing him and 5 MPs backing Uddhav Thackeray. Mr. Shinde was awarded the Shiv Sena party name as well as the bow-and-arrow symbol by the Election Commission (EC) while Mr. Thackeray’s faction has been renamed as Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and chosen the ‘mashaal’ (flaming torch) as its party symbol.
Similarly, in July 2023, Ajit Pawar revolted against his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, splitting the party into two. The EC held that Ajit Pawar’s faction was the true NCP, awarding it the party name and the clock symbol. The NCP founder’s faction has been given the name NCP - Sharadchandra Pawar [NCP(SP)], sporting the ‘man blowing turha (trumpet)’ symbol in the polls.
As per the final seat-sharing tally, the Mahayuti will fight on the state’s 48 seats as follows – BJP (28), Shiv Sena (15), NCP (4), Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (1). Its opposing coalition – Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – has finalised its poll-pact as follows – Shiv Sena UBT [Sena (UBT)] on 21 seats, Congress on 17 seats, NCP Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) on 10 seats.
Here’s a look at the seats where the rival factions face each other:
Sena vs Sena
Mumbai North West
One of the most hotly debated seat for both coalitions was Mumbai North-West, which has a vast Hindi-speaking population. In the MVA, both Sena (UBT) and Congress had staked a claim to the seat, but Sena (UBT) prevailed, fielding Amol Kirtikar in anticipation that his father and incumbent MP Gajanan Kirtikar may be fielded by Shiv Sena. However, Mr. Kirtikar refused to contest polls, conveying the same to Mr. Shinde.
In the Mahayuti, BJP and Shiv Sena staked claim to the seat to capitalise on North Indian support, but the Shiv Sena prevailed. Jogeshwari MLA and Uddhav Thackeray’s close associate Ravindra Waikar, who recently jumped ship to the Shinde faction, has been fielded by Shiv Sena. In 2019, the undivided Shiv Sena’s Gajanan Kirtikar had won defeating Congress’ Sanjay Nirupam by a 27.6% margin. Both leaders are now with the Shiv Sena. This seat goes to the polls on May 20.
Mumbai South Central
Sena (UBT) has fielded its Rajya Sabha MP Anil Desai from this seat despite Congress wishing to field ex-Minister Varsha Gaikwad. Mr. Desai will face incumbent Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale who has been fielded by Shinde’s faction. In 2019, Mr. Shewale had defeated Congress’ Dalit leader Eknath Gaikwad (Ms. Gaikwad’s father) by a 19.1% margin. This seat, which has a sizeable South Indian population, has remained with the Shiv Sena since 1989 (except for 2009, when Mr. Gaikwad won), and goes to the polls on May 20.
Mumbai South
Incumbent MP Arvind Sawant has been renominated by the Sena (UBT) to face the Mahayuti’s candidate in the battle for this seat. While BJP was seeking to field Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar or minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, and newly Congress-turned-Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora too was eyeing his old constituency, Shiv Sena finally fielded Byculla MLA Yamini Jadhav. In 2019, Mr. Sawant had defeated Congress’ Mr. Deora. Mr. Sawant chose to remain with Sena’s Thackeray faction while Mr. Deora recently joined the Shinde’s faction. This seat goes to the polls on May 20.
Hingoli
Sitting MP Hemant Patil was replaced by Shiv Sena with Baburao Kadam Kohlikar at the behest of BJP. He faced Sena (UBT)’s Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar, who was previously an MLA from Hadgaon. In 2019, Mr. Patil had defeated Congress’ Subhashrao Bapurao Wankhede by a 24.1% margin. This seat went to the polls on April 26.
Yavatmal-Washim
Another sitting MP, Bhavana Gawli, a five-time parliamentarian, was dropped by Shiv Sena at the behest of BJP over ongoing money-laundering cases against her. Fielding Rajshri Hemant Patil, wife of sitting Hingoli MP Hemant Patil, Eknath Shinde attempted to placate a miffed Mr. Patil. However, Ms. Gawli, upset at being dropped, refused to campaign for Ms. Patil. Sena (UBT) fielded Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh, a close Thackeray associate and Sena veteran, from this seat. In 2019, Ms. Gawli had trounced Congress’ Manikrao Govindrao Thakre with 10% margin. This seat went to the polls on April 26.
Buldhana
Incumbent MP Jadhav Prataprao Ganpatrao was fielded by the Shiv Sena to face Sena (UBT)’s Narendra Khedekar — the party’s local district chief. The undivided Shiv Sena enjoyed massive ground support in Buldhana, which favours the Thackeray family. In 2019, Mr. Ganpatrao defeated undivided NCP’s Dr. Ranjendra Bhaskarrav Shingne by a margin of 11.9%. This seat went to the polls on April 26.
Hatkanangale
Sitting MP Dhairyasheel Mane has been fielded by Shiv Sena to face Sena (UBT)’s Satyajeet Patil – incumbent Shahuwadi MLA. However, this Sena vs Sena electoral fight has become a four-way fight, with Swabhimani Paksha chief and former MP Devappanna Shetti, known as Raju Shetti, also filing his nomination along with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) fielding Dadasaheb Chavgonda-Patil
Mr. Shetti, an influential farm leader in Maharashtra’s sugar-belt, has accused both MVA and the Mahayuti of forsaking the farmers. A staunch enemy of Sharad Pawar and the ‘sugar lobby,’ Shetti had allied with the BJP till 2014, before becoming a vociferous critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis. In 2019, he allied with staunch rival NCP and was defeated by Sena’s Mr. Mane by a margin of more than 95,000 votes. Incidentally, Mr. Shetti had first won the Hatkanangle seat by defeating Mr. Mane’s mother – Nivedita Mane – in 2014. This seat goes to the polls on May 7.
Shirdi
Known for the famous Sai Baba temple, the Shirdi seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), will witness a tussle between Sena (UBT)’s Rajaram Bhausaheb Wakchaure – an ex-Sena MP, and incumbent Shiv Sena MP Sadashiv Lokhande. Sena’s ally BJP was mulling over offering this seat Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to woo Raj Thackeray into the Mahayuti’s fold. However, talks over this seat did not fructify, although Mr. Thackeray offered ‘unconditional support’ to the BJP-led alliance.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray addresses party workers during a programme on the occasion of ‘Gudi Padwa’, in Mumbai, Tuesday, April 9, 2024. | Photo Credit: SHASHANK PARADE
In 2019, Mr. Lokhande defeated Congress’ Malhari Bhausaheb Kamble by a margin of 11.7%. Mr. Wakchaure had also contested as an Independent candidate and amassed 35,526 votes. This seat goes to the polls on May 13.
Nashik
Home to Shiv Sena-turned-NCP veteran and OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde had both, however, staked claim to the Nashik seat. After weeks of tussle over the seat, Mr. Bhujbal relented and withdrew from the electoral fray, paving way for Sena’s choice – two-time MP Hemant Godse, who is eyeing a third consecutive term. Mr. Godse will take on Sena (UBT)’s Rajabhau Parag Waje. This seat goes to the polls on May 20.
Kalyan
Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde’s son and incumbent MP Shrikant Shinde has been re-nominated for the Kalyan seat to face Sena (UBT)’s Vaishali Darekar-Rane, a former Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal corporator. In 2019, Mr. Shinde had trounced undivided NCP’s Babaji Balaram Patil by a 38.7% margin. This seat goes to the polls on May 20.
Thane
CM Shinde’s pocket-borough – Thane— was eyed by the BJP as an opportunity to expand into the Sena’s stronghold. With BJP seeking to field former MP Sanjeev Naik on a BJP ticket, negotiations over the seat took weeks before Mr. Shinde found a suitable candidate— former Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske. Mr. Mhaske will take on Sena (UBT)’s incumbent MP Rajan Vichare — a two-time MP and former Thane mayor. In 2019, Mr. Vichare had defeated NCP’s Anand Prakash Paranjpe by a 35.2% margin. This seat goes to the polls on May 20.
Maval
Maval, a Shiv Sena stronghold, witnessed an internal tussle between NCP and Shiv Sena. Maval falls under the Pune district where Ajit Pawar holds sway, and both BJP and NCP staked a claim for the seat, making it difficult for Shiv Sena. However, Mr. Shinde prevailed and incumbent MP Shrirang Barne was renominated. He will face Sena (UBT)’s Sanjog Waghere Patil. In 2019, Mr. Barne grabbed the headlines after defeating Parth Ajit Pawar by over 2 lakh votes. The Pawar scion had chosen Maval claiming strong NCP support despite the seat being held by Shiv Sena since 2009. The seat goes to the polls on May 13.
Aurangabad
Renamed as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Aurangabad will see an electoral fight between veteran MP Chandrakant Kaire who is now with the Sena (UBT) and Shiv Sena’s 5-time Paithan MLA Sandipanrao Bhumre. Incumbent MP from All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) Imtiyaz Jaleel too is in the poll fray, seeking a second term. Both Sena factions had fiercely negotiated for the seat to tout the recent renaming of the city— a long-time Sena demand— as their achievement. In 2019, Mr. Jaleel had breached the Sena stronghold, ending Mr. Kaire’s four-term run. The seat goes to the polls on May 13.
NCP Vs NCP
Shirur
Battling his uncle Sharad Pawar’s close associate Dr. Amol Kolhe in the sugar belt seat Shirur, Ajit Pawar has fielded three-time MP Shivajirao Adhalarao Patil, who recently switched from Shiv Sena to NCP. Dr. Kolhe, an actor-turned-politician, who is most known for portraying Chhatrapati Shivaji and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji on television, was hand-picked by Ajit Pawar in 2019 for the Shirur Lok Sabha seat. He emerged as a giant slayer, defeating Mr. Patil by 58,483 seats. The seat goes to the polls on May 13.
Baramati
The high-octane Pawar family battle for its bastion Baramati will see Sharad Pawar’s daughter and three-time MP Supriya Sule take on Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar. Barring Ajit Pawar’s immediate family (wife and son), the entire Pawar clan including Ajit Pawar’s elder brother, businessman Shrinivas Pawar and his son Yugendra Pawar have thrown their weight behind Ms. Sule.
Pune: NCP leader Supriya Sule and Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar meet at a temple in Baramati tehsil, in Pune district, Friday, March 8, 2024
While Baramati has been with the Pawar clan since 1996, currently no MLAs from that district belong to Sharad Pawar’s faction, including Ajit Pawar who has held the Baramati Assembly seat since 1991. In 2019, Ajit Pawar had campaigned for Ms. Sule ensuring her victory by 1.25 lakh votes. He also campaigned for Ms. Sule in 2014, when Rashtriya Samaj Paksha leader Mahadev Jankar put up an extremely close fight. This time, Mr. Jankar has allied with Ajit Pawar, making it extremely close and a prestige battle for the Pawar clan.
Maharashtra is currently polling in five phases on April 19 and 26, and May 7, 13, and 20. Results will be announced on June 4.
