Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar, Eknath Shinde, Uddhav Thackeray
In Maharashtra, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti alliance is fighting to retain power, while the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi is also desperate to return to power. Many small parties that have entered the electoral fray with the hope of becoming kingmakers are becoming a cause of concern for the two major alliances. Of the 158 parties trying their luck in the state, around 150 are small parties, which have entered the fray with the intention of causing a big stir.
Small parties may have the power to win one or two seats, but they certainly have the power to make or break the game of Mahavikas Aghadi and Mahayuti. In the Maharashtra Assembly elections, 4,136 candidates are trying their luck for a total of 288 assembly seats.
This time, apart from the parties included in Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi, a total of 158 parties have come to try their luck in the assembly elections, among which are famous parties like Raj Thackeray’s MNS, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi leader Dalit Prakash Ambedkar, Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM. and the BSP, along with about 150 smaller parties, are also trying their luck. In addition to these parties, some 2,086 independent candidates are also in the running.
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desire to be a kingmaker
Besides Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, the BJP-led grand alliance includes three other smaller parties, including Ramdas Athawale’s RPI. Whereas, in the Congress-led Mahavikas Aghadi, seats have been left for a few other parties except Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP). In this way, while both alliances fight for power, the smaller parties try to become kingmakers.
In the 2019 assembly elections, no party could win a majority. The BJP and Shiv Sena together won 161 seats, while the Congress and NCP managed to win 98 seats. Apart from this, around 29 seats were won by others, of which 16 seats were won by small parties, while independent MLAs were elected to 13 seats. In this way, the role of small parties has acquired great importance in Maharashtra, so this time around 150 small parties have come to try their luck in the electoral field.
In the Maharashtra elections, the BJP is trying its luck with 149 seats, while Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena has 81 seats and Ajit Pawar’s NCP has 59 seats. The Congress is contesting 101 seats, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) has fielded its candidates for 86 seats and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena party (UBT) has fielded its candidates for 95 seats.
Small groups will cause a big stir!
In Maharashtra, the BSP is trying its electoral luck with maximum seats. The BSP has fielded its candidates for 237 seats in the state, while Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has fielded candidates for 200 seats. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is contesting 125 seats. Chandrashekhar Azad’s Azad Samaj Party has 26 candidates in the fray. Bahujan’s Republican Socialist Party is contesting the elections with 22 seats. The Maharashtra Swaraj Party has fielded candidates for 32 seats.
Similarly, the Indian People’s Party (D) has fielded its candidates for 44 seats. The Prahar Janshakti Party has fielded candidates for 38 seats and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha for 93 seats, while the RPI(A) is contesting on 31 seats and the Republican Sena is contesting on 21 seats. Asududdin Owaisi’s AIMIM party has fielded candidates for a total of 17 seats, while the Samajwadi Party has fielded candidates for 9 seats. Uttar Bharat Vikas Sena, Peace Party, Tipu Sultan Party, Netaji Congress Sena, Nirbhay Maharashtra Party, World National Leadership Party, Rashtriya Ulama Council, Jai Vidarbha Party and Deve Gowda’s JDS are also testing good luck in maharashtra.
Many small parties have entered the Maharashtra Assembly elections to make a big splash. These parties have a political base at the regional and caste levels and participate in elections on the same basis. These parties are considered to have considerable influence in their respective areas. Due to their entry into the electoral fray, there is a danger of vote dispersion, which may affect both Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi.
Mayawati-Chandrashekhar-Ambedkar
Three major Dalit-based parties are trying their luck in the electoral field of Maharashtra and only three parties are contesting the elections separately. There are 13 per cent Dalit voters in the state, so Mayawati’s BSP, Chandrashekhar’s Azad Samaj Party and Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi have fielded candidates. The BSP and the Azad Samaj Party may not have any special political base, but Prakash Ambedkar has his own power.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi got 4.57 per cent votes and ruined the game of Congress and NCP candidates, making the contest interesting this time. Mayawati is also an important factor and has a lot of influence in Pune and Vidarbha areas.
Who will Owaisi ruin the electoral game?
Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party also fielded its candidates for 17 seats this time. Owaisi’s base is the Muslim vote bank. Thanks to the strength of Muslims, Owaisi managed to win two seats each in 2014 and 2019. Therefore, by fielding 13 out of 17 Muslim candidates, there is a danger of fragmentation of Muslim votes.
Owaisi has fielded his candidates in the Muslim-dominated seats of Marathwada and Mumbai areas, due to which Mahayuti’s political tension has increased in the Muslim-dominated seats of Aurangabad, Malegaon, Bhiwandi and Mumbai. In Maharashtra, Muslims are considered Mahayuti’s main vote bank, which is why the Congress is trying to name Owaisi as the BJP’s B team.
Whose tension did Raj Thackeray increase?
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has fielded his candidates in 125 seats. In the 2009 elections, Raj Thackeray had won 13 seats, of which 8 were from Mumbai; This victory was a great success for the party, but after this the party’s influence gradually declined. In 2014 and 2019, the MNS was only able to win one seat. This time, of the 125 candidates fielded by the MNS, 25 candidates are trying their luck only in the Mumbai area seats and the rest are trying their luck in the Konkan seats and other areas.
Because of the way Raj Thackeray is setting the Hindutva agenda in the elections, the biggest threat is to both the Shiv Sena and BJP factions. Raj Thackeray has also fielded his son in the elections this time and is trying to become a kingmaker.
Raj Shetty and Bachchu Kadu’s role
In Maharashtra, this alliance led by former MP Raju Shetty includes the Swabhimani Party, Sambhaji Chhatrapati’s Chhatrapati Maharashtra Swaraj Party and MLA Bachchu Kadu’s Prahar Janshakti. Raju Shetty’s political influence is especially visible in Hatkangale, Kapoor and Achalpur. His control in these areas is considered very strong. Batuku Prahar is in the election fray under the leadership of its Prahar Janshakti party, whose entry poses the danger of dividing the OBC and farmer votes.
Due to the presence of these small parties and regional leaders, the distribution of votes is certain. Because of these parties and leaders, there will be tough competition in some seats and because of this the road to grand alliances will not be easy. Its greatest impact will occur only in those seats that traditionally favor an alliance.
In such a situation, if we talk about the profits and losses of small parties, then Maha Vikas Aghadi is more worried. With the rise of these parties, the MVA may face difficulties in maintaining its dominance among the OBC, Dalits, Muslims and other communities, while Mahayuti faces the threat of fragmentation of Hindu votes.
