Rebellion in Mahayuti after the first lists; Shah steps in to keep the peace | news from mumbai

MUMBAI: The rebellion brewing within the tripartite Mahayuti alliance resurfaced after Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) announced their first lists on Thursday, so much so that the Bhartiya Janata Party ( BJP) ) leader and union home minister Amit Shah held a meeting between Shinde, Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis in Delhi on the same day, where he asked them to curb any dissent and be cautious so that the poll prospects not be compromised.

The BJP, which was the first to announce its first list of 99 candidates last Saturday, faced a backlash from some of its leaders who declared their plans to quit the party. The central leadership intervened and managed to convince some of them like Snehalata Kolhe, in Ahmednagar, to stay put. However, many others resigned surreptitiously, because they were not appointed from their respective constituencies. Beed district chief Rajendra Mhaske switched to Sharad Pawar-led NCP while party leader Amol Balwadkar filed his nomination against senior party leader Chandrakant Patil from Kothrud, Pune.

The largest political party with 103 sitting MPs is now facing the rebellion of its alliance partners’ candidates.

BJP’s Bala Bhegade supported Bapu Bhegade, NCP (SP) candidate from Maval after NCP renominated its MLA Sunil Shelke. In Solapur North, the BJP renominated sitting MLA Vijay Deshmukh, only to face the wrath of former party mayor Shobha Banshetti, who later filed her nomination as an independent. BJP’s Jat (Sangli) candidate Gopichand Padalkar faces rebellion from party leader Vilas Jagtap, who is all set to file his nomination as an independent, while the party’s sitting MLA from Sangli Sudhir Gadgil faces a revolt from his party colleague Shivaji Dongare.

Candidates of BJP’s alliance partners are also fueling the rebellion. After the NCP announced the renaming of its Chandgad (Kolhapur) MLA Rajesh Patil, BJP aspirant Shivaji Patil quit the party. When state Assembly Deputy Speaker and NCP-Ajit Pawar leader Narhari Zirwal was renominated from Dindori, Shinde-led Dhanraj Mahale, the Shiv Sena went ahead and filed its nomination as an independent. Shiv Sena candidate from Jalna Arjun Khotkar is facing rebellion from BJP’s Bhaskar Danve, brother of senior BJP leader Raosaheb Danve.

In Nashik’s Nandgaon, NCP leader Sameer Bhujbal announced his nomination as an independent against incumbent Shinde Sena MLA Suhas Kande. In retaliation, Kande filed his nomination against Sameer’s uncle and NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal in the neighboring Yeola constituency.

Closer to home, the infighting has spread to several places. As Andheri East, Kalina and Versova constituencies are claimed by more BJP and Shiv Sena candidates than NCP, there is a delay in announcing the candidates. NCP and Sena are upset as BJP opposed their candidates Nawab Malik (Mankhurd-Shivajinagar) and Swikruti Sharma (Andheri East) respectively.

A BJP leader told HT on condition of anonymity, “Of the 182 seats announced by the three parties in Mahayuti, more than 40 have witnessed rebellion or voices of dissent erupted against the candidates announced by the respective parties.” He added that the phenomenon is likely to continue as the remaining nominations are announced. “This is why the parties have decided to postpone the remaining lists.”

However, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, “We have finalized seat sharing for 277 constituencies and the decision to remain few will be taken soon. The second and third list of BJP candidates will be announced by the party’s central election committee.” He added that party workers have been “warned not to file nominations until their names are announced on the list”.

Shinde Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said, “We have decided to change candidates within the ruling alliance in some constituencies with the approval of the respective party leaders. Wherever there is rebellion, the leaders of the respective parties speak to the rebels; in some cases they succeeded too.”