Sukanya Shantha 
Mumbai: The final day for filing nominations for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections was October 29. Until the last minute, both the ruling Mahayuti coalition and the opposition Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) lacked clarity on how many seats each of their allies would contest. After much political chaos, some of which still persists, the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Mahayuti and the Congress in the MVA have emerged as the parties with the largest shares.
Among all parties in the state, the BJP has managed to work out the best deal for itself and is set to contest 148 seats. The Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) has fielded 84 candidates, while the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) has settled for 52 candidates. Four seats are left for the smaller allies. On the other hand, the Congress has nominated 102 candidates, with its political partners – the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) – fielding 87 candidates and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray faction) fielding 89 candidates.
BJP’s switches
A closer look at the many developments just in the last one week reflect a new trend. At least 16 leaders from BJP quit the party over the last few days. This move was not prompted because of some obvious internal discontent, and neither did these leaders jump ship to join an opposition party. They simply quit the BJP to join its allies – the Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions. After joining these ally parties, these leaders were also immediately given tickets.
Just last week, former Union minister and senior BJP leader Raosaheb Danve’s daughter, Sanjana Jadhav, joined Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena. Jadhav is contesting from the Kannad constituency in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad). Danve’s son, Santosh Danve, has been renominated from the Bhokardan constituency. This last-minute decision to join an ally party is viewed as BJP’s attempt to control as many seats as possible. Similarly, BJP spokesperson Shaina N.C. has also shifted to the Shinde faction and is contesting as the party’s candidate from the Mumbadevi constituency in Mumbai.
Shaina’s original constituency, Worli, fell within Shinde’s share and has Milind Deora contesting from there. Although Shaina claims not to be upset by the decision, her move to contest from the neighbouring Mumbadevi constituency on a Sena ticket is perceived as a desperate attempt to quell further unrest within the party.
Other leaders who quit BJP to join Sena and have secured tickets include Nilesh Rane (Kudal-Malvan seat), Vilas Tare (Bhoisar), Rajendra Gavit (Palghar), Baliram Shiraskar (Balapur), Amol Khatal (Sangamner), Santosh Shetty (Bhiwandi East), Murji Patel (Andheri East), Ajit Pingale (Dharashiv), Dighvijay Bagal (Karmala) and Vithal Langhe (Nevasa). Most of these candidates have been staunch BJP followers and there is no apparent discontent with the party. Sources in the party claim that the last-minute switch was made to just accommodate these leaders and to ensure there is no discontent in the future.
Among the four who joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP are Pratap Patil Chikhalikar (Loha), Nishikant Patil (Islampur), Sanjaykaka Patil (Tasgaon)
So, even if the BJP has 148 seats in its favour, there are many more under its control indirectly.
MVA tussles, MNS hopes and turmoil
The Congress has nominated 102 candidates, with its political partners – the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) fielding 87 candidates and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray faction) fielding 89 candidates.
The MVA partners have fielded candidates against each other in at least eight seats.
Since there is time until November 4 to withdraw nominations, the parties are convincing a few candidates and also a few miffed leaders who decided to file as independent candidates to withdraw their applications.
This time, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has also fielded 128 candidates across the state. His son Amit Thackeray is making an electoral debut from Mahim constituency where he faces a triangular contest from Shinde-led Sena’s candidate Sada Sarvankar and the Sena (UBT) candidate Mahesh Sawant. Interestingly, both MNS and Shinde’s Sena are in the Mahayuti camp, yet Shinde has nominated a candidate from the constituency. Attempts were made to convince Sarvankar to withdraw his nomination but he refused. The BJP has now decided to back Amit Thackeray’s candidature.
Although the nomination period has ended, the political turmoil across parties continues. The political landscape of Maharashtra has undergone dramatic changes over the past two years. Unlike the earlier configuration with four major parties (two on each side), there are now six parties. The splits within the two prominent parties – the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – have resulted in accommodating many more candidates on either side. The smaller allies too have been forceful in their demands for a better share this election.
The Mahayuti, particularly the BJP, is also facing internal dissent across the state. A long-time party member and former member of Parliament, Gopal Shetty, has filed his nomination as an independent candidate after being denied a ticket in the parliamentary elections. He had hoped for a position in the assembly elections, but the party chose to field Sanjay Upadhyay from Borivali instead.
Just before the general elections in May, several leaders have switched sides, leading to major confusion among voters, who struggled to keep track of their leaders’ affiliations. Members from the same family have even contested against one another; for instance, Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, was pitted against her cousin, Supriya Sule. Sule won.
In his first political rally for the assembly elections, Ajit Pawar publicly acknowledged the “mistake” of his wife contesting against Supriya Sule. In the same breath he also blamed his uncle, Sharad Pawar, for committing a “similar error” by fielding his grandnephew, Yugendra Pawar, from the Baramati seat.