Thackerays and Pawars face an uphill battle in upcoming state polls

New Delhi: It’s a battle of survival for dynasts in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. An assertive BJP has made the going tough for the Pawars, the Thackerays, the Hoodas, the Chautala and the Sorens.

WHO MATTERS IN MAHARASHTRA
Thackeray and Pawar are the two biggest surnames. Today, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are trying hard to remain relevant in the face of BJP’s onslaught. For the last three elections, BJP has maintained its vote share of 28%. With 20% votes, Sena cannot aspire to get the leading role. “If ideology and vote bank are same people prefer a national party like the BJP,”says a state BJP leader. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s worry is if BJP gets majority on its own or with the support of smaller parties, Sena would further lose relevance in the state. For the 78-year-old Sharad Pawar, this could be the last election where he is actively involved. But the struggle for heir apparent is not a done deal. Pawar would like his daughter and MP Supriya Sule to take charge but he can’t ignore his ambitious nephew Ajit Pawar. Besides, his top leaders have quit and his control over the co-operatives has weakened in the recent years. Pawar is also carrying the burden of an almost-ineffective Congress and hence is singlehandedly running the opposition campaign.



THE JAT LEGACY IN HARYANA
In the past, Om Prakash Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal was the leading party in the INLD-BJP alliance . In 2014, while BJP came to power with 47 MLAs, INLD became the leading opposition party with 17 MLAs. Chautala went to jail and his two sons Ajay and Abhay are fighting for his turf. Ajay Chautala’s sons, Digvijay and Dushyant Chautala, have formed Jannayak Janata Party (JJP). The Congress Jat stalwart, Bhupinder Hooda, helped Congress win 15 seats in 2014, with the party winning 12 in his stronghold. But in the Lok Sabha elections, both Hooda and his son Deepender Hooda lost.


TRIBAL TEST IN JHARKHAND
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is still a major party but its appeal is declining with even its chief, Shibu Soren, losing his traditional seat, Dumka, in the Lok Sabha election. Soren had won the seat eight times in the past. While he has taken a back seat now, his son Hemant Soren is the leading force in the party. The challenge before Hemant Soren is to expand the party’s support base beyond its traditional tribal supporters who form 26% of the state’s population. Earlier, JMM also found support among nontribal mining workers from Dalit and backward communities. But, non-tribal votes started moving away in early 1990s. JMM won 18 seats in 2009 and 19 seats in 2014 assembly elections with 20% vote share, mostly of tribals. However, BJP is challenging JMM for tribal votes. In every speech, Hemant Soren warns tribals against BJP. “In last 16-17 years in power, BJP has only grabbed land from tribals. We need to form our own government this time,” he told a crowd in Khunti on September 27. Chief minister Raghubar Das countered Sorens, saying: “The Sorens have become landlords by capturing tribal land. BJP government works for all,” he said in Ghatshila at the beginning of his Johar Jan Aashirvad Yatra on September 26. To woo tribals, he said railways would make announcements in Santhal language.