BJP Imports Candidates In Mahayuti: Are The Allies Compromising Existence?
Upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra are crucial for major national political parties and the regional players in the state. The parties are ramping up their campaigns to capitalise on their strength for the polls scheduled for November 20. In a state that comprises India’s economic capital, 9 percentage of the population, and 13 percentage of the DGP contribution, national parties including the BJP and Congress are closely observing the developments.
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Though the BJP is a member of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, it is not holding the chief minister post in Maharashtra. Notably, since 2014, the Saffron Party has pushed a strategy to diminish the regional players in its attempt to emerge as a bigger party in the state. The split in Shiv Sena and NCP is believed to be part of the larger plan, as noted by some of the political analysts. Notably, to further push its agendas, it is obvious that the BJP has been trying to exert maximum influence on the Mahayuti alliance by fielding its members on the alliance partners’ tickets for the impending election.
Many have called some of the Mahayuti candidates ‘imported from the saffron party. At least 12 BJP members switched to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena to secure their candidature, while four others joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction to contest the elections.
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To exemplify, the BJP’s strong influence in Mahayuti was visible in the seat distribution, making the ally members dependent on the saffron party candidates to face the elections. When counted the imported candidates from the BJP, the total number of seats the party is contesting has risen to 179, though it has officially fielded candidates only for 152 constituencies.
Even some of the prominent BJP leaders have found shelter in its Shiv Sena ally faction to contest the upcoming elections. The top figures include former BJP corporator Murji Patel, Shaina NC, Santosh Shetty, Sanjana Jadhav, Nilesh Rane, and Vilas Tare. The Ajit Pawar-NCP faction has also accommodated BJP leaders as candidates, which includes Rajkumar Badole, Pratap Patil-Chikhlikar, Nishikant Patil, and Sanjaykaka Patel.
However, as the saffron party is being accused of dismantling the regional parties and diversities by several political parties for the past several years, are the regional allies not mindful of the compromise to their existence?
