OBC bloc slices the pie, fields 24 candidates
MUMBAI: After prominent Dhangar (shepherd) community leader Mahadev Jankar joined hands with the ruling alliance, another community leader Prakash Shendge has entered the electoral fray. His OBC Bahujan Party (OBP) is fielding 24 candidates across the state and could dent the prospects of candidates from both the ruling and opposition parties.
The OBC community, which has largely stood by the BJP, was upset with the party over the Maratha reservation row. However, the decision of its community leaders to contest elections is expected to dilute the potential electoral outcome of this anger, since OBC candidates in the fray could end up dividing the opposition’s votes, according to community leaders. Jankar, who heads the
Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, wields influence in at least four to five seats in western and central Maharashtra. His U-turn towards the ruling Mahayuti— he was initially to contest as the opposition MVA’S Madha candidate—is likely to affect the opposition’s prospect in multiple seats.
The Shendge-led OBP has declared that it will field candidates in 24 constituencies and has announced the names of nine. Shendge himself will contest from Sangli. The OBP has also extended support to Prakash Ambedkar in Akola, Anandraj Ambedkar in Amravati and an independent in BhandaraGondiya. In Kolhapur, the party is supporting Congress candidate Shahu Maharaj, the twelfth descendant of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.
“The OBCS were upset with the BJP and ruling alliance owing to the government’s move to include Marathas in the
OBC category and refusal to concede to the demand for a caste-based survey,” said a BJP leader. “However, Shendge’s party entering the fray will prove beneficial to us. The party has fielded OBC candidates from various castes, and those who were disgruntled with us will vote for them. Had these OBC candidates not entered the fray, the votes would have gone to opposition candidates.”
To this, OBP leader Chandrakant Bavkar retorted that OBCS were not in the fray to extend benefits to anybody, but to show their power as a community. “We thought this was the right time to enter politics, given the multiple options and the confusion among voters due to the split in two parties,” he said. “There is no doubt that OBCS are unhappy with the BJP and ruling alliance, and we will convey this to our community members in all the constituencies.” The move by the OBP is likely to come as a boon against the backdrop of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-patil announcing that Marathas would not contest the LS polls. His announcement came on Saturday after serious deliberation within the community on whether to field Maratha candidates in multiple constituencies. Had this happened, it would have again played in the favour of the ruling alliance, according to its leaders, who claimed that the Maratha candidates would have diluted the electoral impact of the anti-government sentiment in their community. “We were always against fighting the polls, as we did not want the reservation movement to acquire a political face. It has now been left to the community members to take a conscious call while voting,” said Virendra Pawar, coordinator of Sakal Maratha samaj.
Rashtriya OBC Mahasangh (ROM) chief Babanrao Tayawade has announced that his outfit will stay neutral. “Ours is a social organisation with members from all political parties,” he said. “We fight for the interest of the community, regardless of the political dispensation in power. Our members can decide whom to side with on their own.” Tayawade’s colleague and general secretary of the ROM is, however, campaigning for Pratibha Dhanorkar, the Congress candidate in Chandrapur. “The moves by Jankar and Shendge will benefit the BJP and ruling alliance though the OBCS are against the ruling parties for not taking any steps for us,” he said. “We expect voters from the community to consciously vote keeping the interest of OBCS in mind.”
We were always against fighting the polls, as we did not want the reservation movement to acquire a political face VIRENDRA PAWAR, coordinator of Sakal Maratha samaj