Marathi belt: Divided Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti could help BJP and Congress

BELAGAVI: It’s not even 7 am and the tiny hotel near Khade Bazar police station in Belagavi is packed with people ordering breakfast. The lone supplier Ajith Kumar, a Kannadiga, skillfully manages all the orders, be it preparing tea, dosa or idlisambar.

Every customer at the eatery was speaking in Marathi. Ever since the reorganisation of states, the Marathi-speaking community has been a decisive factor in at least four of the 18 assembly seats in Belagavi. The conversation in the vegetable markets or among the auto-rickshaw drivers is predominately in Marathi. This led to the rise of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES).

While the two sitting MLAs— Sambhaji Patil (Belagavi South) and Arvind Patil (Khanapur)— are backed by the MES, the regional party’s candidates finished second in Belagavi Rural and Belagavi North in 2013.


Though MES is not recognised as a party, their candidates are in power in the Belagavi City Corporation. The linguistic factor, however, does not work in the remaining 13 seats.

MES A DIVIDED HOUSE
Even in the four seats where the MES held sway, this linguistic group cannot take its victory for granted. Groupism appears to have weaked the MES.