Maha polls: Heavyweights battle for supremacy

Mumbai, Nov 18 As the showdown between the MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is imminent in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, it is also hogging the headlines as the heavyweights battle for their supremacy in various constituencies.

The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who led the rebellion in June 2022 and later headed the MahaYuti government for the last two and half years, is engaged in a direct fight against his mentor and former Thane district chief of Shiv Sena (united) Anand Dighe’s nephew Kedar Dighe from the Kopri-Panchpakhadi constituency in his home turf Thane.

The Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is contesting for the fourth time, is pitted against the Congress nominee Pramod Gudadhe from Nagpur South West constituency.

The NCP President and Deputy Chief Minister AJit Pawar, who deserted his uncle and joined the MahaYuti in July 2023, is taking on his nephew and NCP-SP candidate Yugendra Pawar from the Baramati constituency.

A veteran OBC leader and NCP Minister Chhagan Bhujbal faces a challenge for his fifth win in a row in the Yevala seat from NCP-SP candidate Manikrao Shinde from the Maratha community. The contest is important against the backdrop of recent protests over the Maratha and OBC reservations.

Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray is locked in a triangular contest against former union minister and Shiv Sena nominee Milind Deora and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) nominee Sandip Deshpande from Worli constituency with a sizeable Marathi-speaking population.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son and party nominee Amit Thackeray during his electoral debut faces a challenge from Shiv Sena’s three-term legislator Sada Sarvankar and Shiv Sena UBT nominee Mahesh Sawant from Mahim constituency.

State Congress chief Nana Patole is fighting against the BJP nominee Avinash Brahmankar from the SAakoli constituency. Congress nominee and former minister Amit Deshmukh, who is the son of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, is engaged in a direct fight against BJP nominee Archana Patil, who is the daughter-in-law of veteran Congress leader and former union minister Shivraj Patil, from Latur city.

His brother Dhiraj Deshmukh is taking on BJP’s member of the legislative council Ramesh Karad, an education baron, from the Latur rural constituency.

Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar is pitted against Congress nominee Asif Zakaria from Bandra West constituency, state assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar against Congress nominee Hira Devasi from Colaba seat, BJP minister Mangalprabhat Lodha against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Bhairu Chaudhari from Malabar Hill constituency and former BJP spokesperson Shaina NC, who is now Shiv Sena nominee, against Congress candidate Amit Patel from Mumbadevi constituency.

After former MP Gopal Shetty decided not to defy the BJP line, BJP nominee Sanjay Upadhyay has heaved a sigh of relief and he is fighting against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Udesh Patekar.

NCP Minister Hasan Mushrif is pitted against NCP-SP nominee Samarjeetsingh Ghatge from Kagal constituency, another NCP minister Dhananjay Munde against NCP-SP nominee Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule against Congress candidate Suresh Bhoyar and BJP minister Atul Save against MIM candidate and former MP Imtiyaz Jaleel from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar East. Former minister Harshvardhan Patil, who left the BJP and joined the Sharad Pawar faction, is locked in a direct fight against NCP nominee Datta Mama Bharne.

Former union minister and BJP MP Narayan Rane’s son and party nominee Nitesh Rane is seeking re-election from the Kankavli seat against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Sandesh Parkar.

Rane’s other son and former MP Nilesh Rane left BJP and joined Shiv Sena before the last date of filing nominations. Nilesh Rane is locked in a direct fight against Shiv Sena UBT nominee Vaibhav Naik from the Kudal constituency. Naik had defeated Narayan Rane, who had contested as the Congress nominee in the 2014 elections.

Former minister and NCP nominee Nawab Malik is contesting against Samajwadi Party nominee Abu Azmi from the Mankhurd-Shivajinagar constituency while Malik’s daughter and NCP candidate Sana Malik is pitted against NCP-SP nominee Farhad Ahmad from Anushaktinagar seat.

NCP-SP nominee Jitendra Awhad is fighting against his former associate and the NCP candidate Najeeb Mulla from the Mumbra-Kalwa constituency.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

Source: IANS