Battle for Maharashtra: Can the BJP-Shiv Sena duo repeat the 2014 magic?
The BJP-Shiv Sena combine, which had swept 42 of the 48 seats in the 2014 elections, has to cope with mounting agrarian distress and edgy caste/reservation issues.
By ET Bureau | Updated:
Agencies
In the Maharashtra polls, Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, however, may be the party pooper as it may eat into the votes of Dalits and other communities.
An acute agrarian distress, joblessness and the severe drought in Maharashtra are muffling all the pre-poll theatrics unleashed by political parties nationally. The BJP-Shiv Sena combine, which had swept 42 of the 48 seats in the 2014 elections, has to cope with mounting agrarian distress and edgy caste/reservation issues. While there is rural discontent, it remains to be seen whether the NCP, which has been on the backfoot after many of its leaders joined the BJP, and a shaky Congress can lure back the votebank. Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, however, may be the party pooper as it may eat into the votes of Dalits and other communities. ET reports from Ground Zero. Here's a look at issues across six different regions of Maharashtra that could swing the polls:
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Vidarbha With the Congress and NCP regrouping this time, BJP-Sena ending their bickering and with the Modi government and many BJP-Sena MPs facing incumbency tests, the real question here is, will the saffron alliance sweep the region again or will the Congress-NCP make a dent?
Western Maharashtra Western Maharashtra, a significant agrarian belt with a heavy concentration of sugarcane farmers, is NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s home turf. NDA made a strong headway into Western Maharashtra in 2014 winning seven of the 11 seats of the region including Ahmednagar. NCP won only four seats in the entire state ––all of which were from this region. But things have changed.
Marathwada Rural distress, a crippling drought and anger over demonetisation and GST may hit BJP-Sena’s chances in Marathwada where the combo won six out of eight seats in 2014.
Konkan The two seats in this picturesque belt are Ratnagiri and Raigad. In Ratnagiri, Nilesh Rane, who fought on a Congress ticket in 2014, will be fighting from his father's newly-formed party Maharashtra Swabhimaan Paksh.
Mumbai-Thane While Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has taken a u-turn after slamming the BJP for four and a half years, party workers claim the alliance is similar to a couple stuck in a bitter divorce. The Congress-NCP, which has their backs to the wall, has to face a lot of infighting. However, they have now got a huge shot in the arm with the MNS deciding to back the Congress-NCP coalition.
