Suddenly the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance seems to be in trouble in Maharashtra over multiple challenges building up against it. The recent horrific incident in Badlapur, Thane district, followed by the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg, have left Mahayuti leaders on the defensive. Adding to the alliance's troubles, Mahayuti's own partners are now publicly voicing their demands, and BJP leaders are struggling to respond swiftly. This could prove to be a double whammy for the Mahayuti alliance as it heads into the peak of the election season.
In recent weeks, tensions within the Mahayuti alliance have escalated, particularly among leaders from Western Maharashtra. During the Lok Sabha polls, Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil and his family from Solapur openly rebelled against the BJP. Following the recent Lok Sabha poll results, Samarjitsinh Ghatge from Satara district announced his intention to leave the BJP and join Sharad Pawar’s NCP. Similarly, Harshavardhan Patil from Pune district has signaled that he is considering leaving the BJP, and Ramraje Nimbalkar of the Royal family of Phaltan in Satara has warned the saffron alliance not to take him for granted.
These influential leaders, all of whom have held significant power and positions in the state cabinet, are voicing discontent with the BJP, threatening to leave the Mahayuti if their demands are not met. This internal strife among four formidable players from Western Maharashtra could lead to them joining the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), if the BJP fails to address their grievances. The root of this discontent appears to be the BJP's alliance with Ajit Pawar’s NCP, which has caused a rift within the Mahayuti coalition.
In Western Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar is positioning his own candidates in nearly every constituency, effectively leaving no space for the Mahayuti or BJP candidates. In most places, these BJP candidates actually fought against Ajit Pawar's party in the last assembly polls in 2019. The NCP had a strong showing in many of these constituencies in 2019, and now the Mahayuti has announced a seat-sharing formula that ensures sitting MLAs, who won in the last election and are now part of the Mahayuti, will retain their seats.
Harshavardhan Patil has expressed frustration with the current situation, stating, “We are expected to support the alliance during Lok Sabha elections, and we did that in the last polls. However, when it comes to the assembly elections, the alliance does not seem to care for us. How long will this continue? After serving as a minister and being in the assembly for many years, I joined the BJP in 2019. Since then, I haven't been offered any significant position. My supporters are now urging me to contest the elections regardless of whether I receive a Mahayuti ticket. I am concerned that Ajit Pawar's candidate, Datta Bharne, might be given the Mahayuti ticket for my Indapur constituency in Pune district.”
Similar is the position taken by Nimbalkar. His worry is that the BJP may field its own person Ranjitsingh Naik Nimbalkar. “The Mahayuti must make clear what their plans are otherwise we can take our decision and move to some other alliance,” Nimbalkar told the media on Sunday. Samarjitsinh Ghatge has already announced that he would be joining Sharad Pawar's NCP in the first week of September as the BJP-led Mahayuti is most likely to field Ajit Pawar supporter Hasan Mushriff from Kagal constituency in Kolhapur.
In many places, including the key sugar belt of Western Maharashtra and beyond, the BJP faces a challenge with too many aspirants due to its alliances with multiple parties. This issue is evident in Jalgaon, north Maharashtra, where Sharad Pawar's NCP MLC Eknath Khadse, a veteran face of the saffron party, is awaiting the signal to officially join the BJP. Khadse stated on Monday, “All my negotiations with the BJP high command are complete. I have spoken with the party's national president, and it was agreed that I would leave the NCP (SP) and join the BJP. However, it seems that some individuals in Maharashtra don't want me to join the BJP.”
There seems to be some confusion within the BJP over whom to give priority and whom to leave aside. Some loyal party activists are now saying they hope the party takes all the right decisions before it is too late to recover from the damage if some of the top alliance partners or party leaders leave and join the opposite side.
