Top Congress, NCP leaders face problems in home turf

With a large number of leaders shifting loyalties to ruling camp, Opposition Congress and NCP stalwarts will face difficulties in their home turf during Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance would have a major electoral build-up against top leaders like former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan (Karad), Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat (Sangamner), his NCP counterpart Jayant Patil (Islampur), former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar (Baramati), Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde (Beed) among others.

“They are trying to establish a single-party rule,” said Chavan, who had also served as minister of state for PMO in Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. Two Congress ex-CMs — Ashok Chavan (Nanded) and Sushilkumar Shinde (Solapur) — have lost the Lok Sabha polls and are unlikely to venture into the Assembly polls.

As many as 13 sitting legislators and 10 former ministers have left the NCP and Congress and have joined BJP or the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. In fact, Chavan’s trusted aide Jaykumar Gore (Man) has joined the BJP, while another of his lieutenants, Ranjeetsinh Nimbalkar, won the Lok Sabha polls from Madha.

When it comes to the Pawar family, Sharad Pawar is a Rajya Sabha member. His daughter Supriya Sule won Lok Sabha polls from Baramati but grand nephew Parth Pawar lost from Maval.

“Ajit Pawar will have to be very careful this time around,” a senior political observer said, adding that his name already figures in the Maharashtra State Cooperation Bank scam.

Thorat, who is from Sangamner, will face stiff Opposition from arch political rival Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and the latter will personally select candidates against the state Congress chief.

Vikhe-Patil has resigned as leader of Opposition of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and joined BJP and become the housing minister.

Dhananjay Munde, the nephew of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, will have to face a tough battle for supremacy in the Beed district, where his cousin and state rural development minister Pankaja Munde calls the shots. One of Dhananjay’s close aides Jaydutt Kshirsagar joined the Sena and is now a minister.