Mumbai: Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner. On one side, we have the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar faction, while on the other side, we have the Mahayuti alliance with the mighty BJP, the real Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the real NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. As the poll battle heats up, we analyse three Lok Sabha seats in the state where even Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charm will fail to ensure victory of Mahayuti candidate.
BJP has put all their weight in gaining control over politics in Maharashtra in the past decade, from taking support of the Shiv Sena in the past to literally breaking prominent state parties like NCP and Shiv Sena now. All of this has not been seen as a major aid to the saffron party as there is a prediction that despite all these political manoeuvering, the BJP-led NDA will suffer the worst hit in terms of seats in Maharashtra. Even PM Modi, who is the star face for the BJP in states where they feel to gain a strong hold, can fail in a state like Maharashtra, where politics lies in the veins and minds of the janata.
Here are three seats according to us that can't be in the Mahayuti's fold even if PM Modi himself contests from those. Let's have a look:
1. Mumbai South
Mumbai is considered to be the bastion of the Marathi manoos, which is ruled by only the Marathi manoos. Mumbai South, specifically, consists areas like Dadar, Parel, Lalbaug and Byculla which have a huge number of Marathi population residing from generations before, dating from the origin of the mega city. The Marathi manoos has always looked up to and elected a leader who is capable of and worthy of looking upon their needs.
Previously, won by the Congress many times, the South Mumbai seat is now ruled by the Marathi manoos party, the Shiv Sena. Arvind Sawant, the sitting MP and Sena UBT leader has proven to be the representative of the Marathi manoos and even the people belonging to all the other castes and religion that reside in his constituency. With the developmental works and his grassroots connection with the public, Sawant was elected twice before and is poised to win for the third time this year.
This prominent seat requires a grassroot connection with the public in order to be elected as their representative. Hence, PM Modi's charismatic speeches and promises won't help him win this one over Sawant's outreach in the masses.
2. Thane
Thane has been another battleground where many parties have fought and won, but here too, Shiv Sena's connection with the Marathi population and the overall masses has maintained its magic. Shiv Sena veterans like Prakash Paranjpe who held the mighty Maratha fort for four consecutive terms from 1996 to 2004 have proved to be a representative of the public through their works.
Even in the past decade, Thane seat was won by the undivided Shiv Sena's Rajan Vichare, in both 2014 and 2019 general elections with a massive vote percentage of 56.46% and 63.30% respectively. When one discusses about Thane, Anand Dighe's name cannot be missed. Dighe, one of Shiv Sena's most loved loyalist, who is still placed beside the Gods in many of the Thanekars' homes, gave his lifetime to build the Shiv Sena we see in the city. Vichare is a staunch supporter of Anand Dighe and has lived, got trained under his guidance, proving to work on his ideologies.
In Thane, people's faith plays a key role in deciding their representative. Majorly, this faith lies in the ideologies of Dighe, which are followed by the Shiv Sena, both the UBT and the Shinde faction. However, after the split, the Shinde faction received flak from Thanekars too, as some said, had Anand Dighe would've been alive, Shiv Sena would've seen no split at any cost. Now even PM Modi's approach to the public can't help here to uproot Shiv Sena's place in their lives.
3. Baramati
Baramati, indisputably sounds synonymous with the word Pawar, when it comes to politics. The Pawar family has been the sole choice and their representative preference for decades now. Starting from Sharad Pawar, who first won from Baramati in 1984, then again in 1991 and finally held the seat from 1996 to 2004, this shows the influence he holds in the western Maharashtra seat.
Even in the past decade, the public of Baramati has relied on Supriya Sule's leadership, who is the daughter of Sharad Pawar, to be their representative. This proves that the 'Pawar' power is a key aspect of winning over the Baramati bastion.
However, the Mahayuti is trying to gauge control over Baramati using Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra, in a bid to win over Pawar. But, as the legend says, if Sharad Pawar places his bet on anyone in Baramati, it is a sure shot win for the candidate.
On the other hand, PM Modi himself considers Sharad Pawar as an inspiration in politics, hence his power would prove to be a bit less against the stalwart who has dedicated more than 5 decades of his life for the well-being of the Baramatikars.
The polls In Maharashtra are slated to be held in five phases with the first phase on April 19. The state has maintained its reputation for delivering one of the best poll battles in the nation through decades.
