Back-room hustle to notch up numbers in run-up to polls
MUMBAI: In their haste to bolster their poll prospects with Lok Sabha elections around the corner, poaching from the opposition t o gain numbers has become the mainstay of the ruling parties.
The tradition that started in 2014 is expected to continue. In the past, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) induction of stalwarts from their respective strongholds paid huge dividends. It eventually broke two regional parties and BJP managed to bring Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, leading their respective breakaway parties, into a three-party alliance to lead Maharashtra.
In 2014 and 2019, the BJP, which was in an alliance with undivided Shiv Sena, identified areas of its own weaknesses and strategically poached powerful leaders from there – the Vikhes and Madhukar Pichad i n Ahmednagar, Rana Jagjit Singh in Osmanabad, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil in Solapur, Vijaykumar Gavit in Nandurbar, and other heavyweights from the districts. The ruling alliance, with the BJP firm in saddle, has continued the same strategy.
The alliance partners recently brought top leaders into their fold. Last month, senior Congress leader and former state minister Baba Siddique joined Ajit Pawar’ faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). His son Zeeshan may follow suit, ahead of the assembly polls, scheduled later in the year.
The strategy
BJP insiders say that equations are broadly based on need and benefits. “The party inducts leaders only if our leaders see the possibility of a rise in vote share by at least 3% as it also results in the reduction of equal votes of the opposition party he is coming from,” explained a senior BJP leader requesting anonymity.
Hence, a few more Congress leaders and legislators from Congress may join BJP soon. “Some of them may help us in the Lok Sabha polls tacitly and later join us ahead of the assembly polls,” the leader said.
Madhav Bhandari, vice president of BJP, said, “The party is also cautious to not disturb its present structure at the local level while inducting outsiders – the main strategy is to weaken the opposition and strengthen own fold.”
The three ruling parties have a mutual understanding to accommodate the leaders joining conveniently. For instance, the recent induction of Deora and Siddique in Shinde and Ajit Pawar factions respectively was a strategic decision by the three parties to balance caste and community equations.
When Eknath Shinde rebelled to split Shiv Sena in June 2022, he walked with 40 legislators of the parent party, but the new Sena faction did not have enough grassroot level workers and those who could help with future expansion plans. This compelled them to poach from other parties, especially the Thackeray-led Sena.
Thackeray’s equations
Following the split in Sena, when 13 of 18 MPS left the party’s chief Uddhav Thackeray to join hands with Shinde, Thackeray’s biggest challenge was to rebuild his party. He strategized to win over prominent leaders from other parties.
To retain the party’s influence in western Vidarbha, and counter the defected MP Bhavana Gawali and MLA Sanjay Rathod from Yavatmal-washim, Thackeray admitted Mahant Sunil Maharaj. He belongs to the Banjara community, which dominates the constituency. Additionally, former Congress MLA Sanjay Deshmukh also switched over.
In northern Maharashtra, to counter defected MP Hemant Godse and minister Dada Bhuse, Thackeray inducted Advay Hiray, an influential leader in the Maratha community. The Hirays run various educational institutes. Thackeray is also in touch with Nitin Thakare, general secretary of Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj, a respected educational institution in the district. He could be a possible candidate for the Nashik Lok Sabha constituency. MP Sanjay Raut played a crucial go-between.
To regain its Raigad Lok Sabha seat and teach a lesson to defected MLAS in the constituency, Thackeray inducted Snehal Jagtap from Mahad. After playing her part in the Lok Sabha elections, she is expected to face defected MLA Bharat Gogawale in the assembly election. In Dapoli, Thackeray has brought over former MLA Sanjay Kadam from NCP.
To counter rebel MP Shrirang Barane from Maval, he has inducted Sanjog Waghere-patil, former mayor of Pimpri-chinchwad from NCP who is close to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. In Sangli, he has roped in Chandrahar Patil, a popular wrestler and two-time state champion; he is also likely to be the party’s candidate in LS polls.
To keep control on the process of induction and avoid internal disputes, Thackeray is known to keep local leaders and officer bearers in the loop.
Behind the scenes
Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis calls the shots in the party’s state unit regarding strategic moves of inducting leaders from other parties. “The final nod however comes from the central leadership which has its own mechanism to vet the proposal. Since Vinod Tawde is now the national general secretary, he has a say in important decisions,” said a senior party leader.
While the Shinde Sena has a core team to seek out prospective leaders, the entry of senior leaders from Sena (UBT) is vetted by Eknath Shinde and his son
Shrikant Shinde. According to Sena sources, the party follows the simple strategy of promising developmental funds in constituencies of former MLAS or former corporators who join. On many occasions, a team of BJP leaders have tapped into disgruntled Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, actively encouraging them to quit the party. BJP and Shiv Sena have an unwritten understanding – that leaders from Sena (UBT) will only join Shinde, said a leader, citing Jogeshwari MLA Ravindra Waikar’s case who switched sides with the heat of agency probe on him.
Reverse migration
Compared to the flood of leaders joining the ruling camp, opposition parties are witnessing a much smaller inflow. However, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders are roping in other smaller parties to work out a winning equation.
Sitting Parner MLA Nilesh Lanke and MNS leader Vasant More inching closer to the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP is seen as reverse migration of leaders in politics. Pawar has offered the LS seat from Madha to Dhangar community leader Mahadev Jankar, who heads Rashtriya Samaj Paksha. Jankar was part of the Bjp-led Mahayuti in 2014 election. Similarly, Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana chief Raju Shetti has been wooed by the MVA to lead the Hatkanangale constituency.
“In western Maharashtra, senior Pawar enjoys greater support than any other leader. Bringing Lanke and More back into the party’s fold was part of his strategy. He was the first to approach Shetti and Jankar and if they concede, MVA can give a tough fight to the ruling alliance,” said a Pawar faction leader.