Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Govt formation may depend on the 2,086 independents in fray

Mumbai: A whopping 2,086 independent candidates are in fray in the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra—an indication that they can play an important role in government formation.

Some of the independent candidates are up against the two main political formations—Maha Yuti comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).

The Maha Yuti list includes BJP (149), Shiv Sena (81) and NCP (59) while the Maha Vikas Aghadi list comprises Congress (101), Shiv Sena (UBT) (95) and NCP (SP) (86).

Besides the independents, several small parties are in fray like Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (237), which is the highest in the list of candidates followed by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (200), the party founded by Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

On the other hand, Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has fielded 125 candidates.

The Maharashtra Swarajya Party, which was founded by Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati—the descendent of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformer Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj—has fielded 32 candidates.

The Rashtriya Samaj Paksha founded by Dhangar leader Mahadev Jankar has put up 93 candidates while firebrand leader Bacchu Kadu, who commands the Prahar Janshakti Party has given 38 candidates.

The People's Party Of India (Democratic) has 44 candidates in the race.

The Republican Party of India (A) has 31 candidates in the elections, while Republican Sena has 21. The Swabhimani Paksha is fighting in 19 seats. The Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi is fighting in 8 seats.

"In the post-poll scenario, the Independents and smaller parties would play an important role. This time, there are several rebels, around 70 to 80, from six main parties of the two coalition are contesting," political observers said.

The maximum Independent candidates were elected in 1995, when a large number of them supported the erstwhile Shiv Sena-BJP dispensation.

In 2019, as many as 13 Independents were elected but changed sides.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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