Maharashtra's sugar bowl' braces for electoral battle

FACTIONS CLASH NEW DELHI The "sugar bowl" of Maharashtra is preparing for a heated political battle in the upcoming state Assembly elections, set for a single phase on November 20, 2024.

- TIKAM SHARMA

Western Maharashtra will be the stage for a fierce contest between the ruling Mahayuti alliance and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), with a particular focus on the internal struggle within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has split into factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar. The results in this key region could significantly influence Maharashtra's political landscape for the next five years.

This agriculturally rich region, which includes Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur, has long been a political stronghold for heavyweights like the undivided NCP and Congress. However, the recent division within the NCP and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) push for a comeback have raised the stakes in this election.

Western Maharashtra, with its 70 Assembly seats, has traditionally been dominated by the Congress-NCP alliance. Since 2014, though, BJP, riding on the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been challenging this dominance. In the 2019 Assembly elections, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP won 27 seats, while the BJP claimed 20. Congress secured 12, the undivided Shiv Sena took five, and smaller parties, including Surajya Janashakti and independents, captured the remaining seats.