Many 'Dynasts' Among BJP's Maharashtra Candidates
Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) go-to tactic, especially during election season, is to attack opposition parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and other political opponents, for practicing dynasty politics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently stated that dynasty politics paves the way for a new form of dictatorship in a democracy, burdening India with incompetent leaders. However, the saffron party itself indulges in the practice it so openly derides, an analysis of the party”s Maharashtra Lok Sabha elections” candidates list shows..
According to The Hindu, out of the 20 BJP candidates nominated for Maharashtra’s Lok Sabha seats, nine come from prominent political families.
Piyush Goyal – Mumbai North
Union Minister and three-time Rajya Sabha member Piyush Goyal, nominated from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat, is the son of the late Ved Prakash Goyal, the national treasurer of the BJP for over two decades. The RSS activist also served as Union Minister for Shipping during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. His father has also worked closely with Sangh members such as LK Advani and Balasaheb Deoras. Piyush Goyal’s mother, Chandrakanta Goyal, has served as an MLA for three terms from Matunga constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly. Goyal shares a close relationship with veteran Ram Naik, who held the Mumbai North seat from 1989 to 1999.
Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar – Dindori (ST)
Dr. Pawar, the sitting MP from Dindori and Minister of State for Tribal Affairs and Health and Family Welfare, was preceeded by Harishchandra Chavan, her father, in the 2019 general elections. Dr. Pawar’s father-in-law also served as an eight-time MLA and a minister in the cabinet of the Congress’ late Vilasrao Deshmukh.
Anup Dhotre – Akola
Son of sitting MP Sanjay Dhotre, Anup Dhotre has been nominated from the Akola Lok Sabha constituency. Sanjay Dhotre, former Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development and four-time MP, nominated his son to take his mantle after he was rendered bed-ridden for a few years following a paralytic attack.
Pankaja Munde – Beed
Next on the list is former Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde. Nominated from Beed, Munde has replaced her sister Pritam Munde, who took over after their father, Gopinath Mande, passed away, vacating the Lok Sabha seat. Gopinath Munde has been a senior BJP leader and former Union Minister. Having previously served in the Devendra Fadnavis cabinet, Pankaja Munde is all set to make her comeback. Interestingly, in the 2019 elections, she faced defeat after losing to her cousin Dhananjay Munde, the Nationalist Congress Party leader currently a Minister in the Eknath Shinde-Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government.
Dr. Heena Vijaykumar Gavit – Nandurbar (ST)
Tribal leader and two-time MP from Nandurbar, Heena Gavit, is the daughter of Vijaykumar Gavit, the Maharashtra Minister.
Sanjaykaka Patil – Sangli
Sanjaykaka Patil’s, Sangli MP, uncle is a senior Congress leader who was also a three-time MLA from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency.
Ranjeetsinha Hindurao Naik-Nimbalkar – Madha
Nominated from Madha constituency, Ranjeetasinha Naik-Nimbalkar, a former Lok Sabha member, is the daughter of Hindurao Naik-Nimbalkar, who was a Shiv Sena MP. Ahmednagar’s sitting MP,
Dr. Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil – Ahmadnagar
Sujay Vikhe Patil, is the son of Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, senior BJP leader, Maharashtra Minister, and a seven-time MLA from Shirdi.
Raksha Nikhil Khadase – Raver
Raksha Khadse has been nominated from the Jalgaon district of Raver. Her father-in-law is Eknath Khadse, MLC from the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a former member of the BJP who represented the Muktainagar Assembly constituency for six terms until 2019.
Congress MP and party general secretary Jairam Ramesh called out the ‘hypocrisy’ of the saffron party. Emphasising the prime minister’s constant critique of dynasty politics, Ramesh said, “If you look at both lists of candidates, you will find they are replete with candidates who represent Parivarvad. It’s hypocrisy. Whether it’s Ms. Munde, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, Jyotiraditya Scindia, or Ashok Chavan, are all beneficiaries of nepotism within the BJP,” as quoted in The Hindu.
Although a senior BJP leader denied these allegations of selecting candidates with political family backgrounds and claimed that the choices were made purely on the basis of “individual merit and public support.” He added, “If multiple members of a family independently excel in the political arena with popular backing, it should not be considered dynasty politics.” He clarified that dynasty politics meant when a political party was controlled by members of one particular family, such as the DMK, Bharat Rashtra Samiti (former Telangana Rashtra Samiti), and NCP.
While the BJP claims it does not practice dynasty politics and stands firmly against it, its list of leaders from political dynasties continues to grow.
