Sillod: As Abdul Sattar Seeks Fourth Term, Ally Poses Significant Challenge (image: facebook.com/AbdulSattarOfficial)

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra: As the cabinet minister and Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Abdul Sattar seeks re-election from Sillod constituency, the BJP, their ally itself pose a significant challenge. Three-time MLA from Sillod, Sattar’s blunt and provocative statements often invited controversy.

The exchanges between senior BJP leader Raosaheb Danve have adversely affected Sattar’s relationship with the saffron party. The situation got further aggravated when the minister publicly praised Kalyan Kale, the Congress candidate, for winning the Jalna Lok Sabha seat, which Danve lost. There was also criticism that Danve lost the seat because Sattar, being a Sillod legislator, failed to put in enough effort to ensure his win.  Thus, the local leaders of the BJP refuse to campaign for him citing Lok Sabha poll incidents.

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Sattar is the sole Muslim MLA from Shiv Sena. In the upcoming polls, he is facing a tough challenge from Suresh Bankar of the Shiv Sena (UBT). Bankar, BJP state secretary joined Thackeray faction ahead of polls. He is considered as vocal critic and strong opponent to Sattar. He is also a former close associate of Danve. This is the third face off between Sattar and Banker in Sillod. Previously, they contested against each other in 2014 and 2009.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, Sattar won the seat, defeating Independent candidate Prabhakar Manikrao Palodkar by a margin of 24,381 votes. In the 2014 Assembly polls, Sattar secured victory with 96,038 votes, while Banker received 82,117 votes. He defeated Banker by a margin of 13,921 votes. Sattar was contesting as a Congress candidate then. Banker’s candidacy is viewed as Thackeray group’s attempt to capitalise the BJP workers discontent against Sattar.

Sattar started his political career in local politics as an independent politician. In 1984, he won a seat in Sillod Gram Panchayat and then became the Sillod Municipal Council chief in 1994. He contested his debut assembly polls from Sattar in 1999 but lost. Then he joined with the grand old party and was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 2001. In 2009, he secured his first win from the Sillod Assembly segment and continued the winning streak thereafter. Though he got a cabinet position in 2014, his relationship with the Congress started to strain. In 2018, Sattar resigned from the Assembly, showing support for the Maratha quota demand for reservations in jobs and education.

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In 2019, Sattar hopes to receive a Lok Sabha ticket from the Aurangabad seat. Failing to receive, he quit the Congress party. Although he expressed his intention to join the BJP, local leadership opposed the move. Then he joined Shiv Sena and won the 2019 Assembly election from Sillod. Following the Shiv Sena split in 2022, he stayed with the Eknath Shinde faction and was appointed as Minister of Waqf and Minority Welfare.

Sillod constituency is located in Jalna district. The constituency possesses 20 percent of Muslim electorates. The 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra will go to polls on November 20 and counting of votes will take place on November 23.