As many as 80 candidates are poised to contest across six Assembly constituencies of Beed district in the hinterland of Maharashtra for the upcoming Assembly election scheduled on November 20, with many standing out due to their strong support at the grassroots level and winnability chances. A few among them are rebels, who did not receive a ticket from the party and decided to go solo.
The six constituencies are Beed, Mazalgaon, Kaij, Ashti, Gevrai, and Parli. In all constituencies except Parli and Kaij, party leaders have rebelled. It appears that either Independent candidates could win the election or disrupt the vote calculations of the two principal alliances — the ruling Mahayuti and Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
On the outskirts of Beed city, a tea stall owner said: “Pakshachya umedwaran madhe dum nahi, apaksh baghu (Party candidates are useless, will see towards Independents).“ In the constituency, there is a sentiment of “Kshirsagar-free Beed” among people, as the family has ruled Beed constituency for over four decades. Beed has been a stronghold of former minister of Jaydatta Kshirsagar, uncle of MVA and Mahayuti candidates Sandeep and Yogesh Kshirsagar respectively.
Incumbent MLA and NCP (SP) leader Sandeep Kshirsagar dismissed this sentiment and said: “Everyone has the right to their opinion, I am going in my constituency on the basis of the work I have done for five years. People chose me then and will do now also.” Sandeep Kshirsagar, an OBC leader, is competing against his cousin and Mahayuti candidate Yogesh Kshirsagar of the Ajit Pawar-led group of NCP. Meanwhile, Beed constituency has four Independent Maratha candidates, including Anil Jagtap, the name that frequently appeared in conversations that The Hindu had with people of Beed city.
Independent candidate Anil Jagtap is a former party functionary of Shiv Sena (UBT), who later shifted to the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde but upon being denied a ticket, he decided to go Independent. “If it was Yogesh versus Sandeep, Sandeep would have won with the backing of Maratha votes. But with the candidacy of Anil Jagtap, the fight has become triangular. Sandeep, Yogesh, and Anil are giving each other a tough fight,” said, Ramesh Uphale, a local resident of Beed.
Political observers believe that this seat will see a tough fight between NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s candidate and Mr. Jagtap, depending on who Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil backs and where Muslim votes lean. “Jarange factor won’t be much effective in Assembly election, but in Beed with two OBC candidates in the fray and four Maratha candidates as Independents, the Jarange factor may influence victory margins partially,” said Dilip Khisti, a senior journalist and political observer. “It is early to say whom Independents will go with, but they will move towards Mahayuti,” he added. Beed is dominated by Marathas, OBC communities such as Vanjari, Mali, Dhangars, and Gavli, along with Muslims.
Out of the six Assembly seats in Beed, the Mahayuti’s Prakash Solanke and Mohan Jagtap from MVA are in the fray in Mazalgaon. Along with them, Independents like Ramesh Adaskar, Babari Munde, and Madhav Nirmal are considered strong contenders.
Gevrai will see a triangular contest with Vijay Singh Pandit from NCP, Badamrao Pandit from Shiv Sena (UBT), and another Independent sitting MLA Laxman Pawar in the fray. Additionally, three women candidates, including Pooja More, are contesting as Independents. Laxman Pawar is a former BJP leader and strongman in the region.
Over in Kaij, the contest is between BJP’s Namita Mundada and NCP (SP)‘s Prithviraj Sathe. In Parli, there is a direct battle between Dhananjay Munde of NCP and Rajesaheb Deshmukh from NCP (SP). Meanwhile, Ashti is a battle of friendly fights between the Mahayuti alliance parties, MVA, and Independents. The Mahayuti has fielded BJP member Suresh Dhas while the NCP (SP) has nominated Balasaheb Aajbe. As Independents, Bhimrao Dhonde and Mehboob Sheikh are in the contest.
In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election, the combined NCP won four seats of Mazalgaon, Ashti, Beed, and Parli, whereas Kaij and Gevrai seats went to the BJP. “Beed Lok Sabha constituency will see at least three Independent MLAs and Maharashtra will witness at least 30 Independent candidates becoming MLAs similar to the 1995 election,” said Beed-based political observer Narendra Kankariya. The 2023 split in the NCP is likely to impact the party’s hold in the region. In view of this, it will be highly significant for both NCP groups to retain as many seats as possible.
This time the core issues of the region are missing from the election fray as caste politics has intensified in the constituency. A bus driver, who calls himself a Beedkar, said: “We will vote as per the directions of Jarange.” On core issues of Beed, people are looking for sufficient water facilities, but that is not the number one priority in this election season. Beed is a drought-affected region of the State and continues to struggle with developmental issues..
Published – November 14, 2024 05:43 am IST
