On August 23, more than a thousand people gathered at a ground behind the Shahu sugar cooperative in Kagal, near the Karnataka border in Kolhapur district. The sugar cooperative was launched a few decades ago by Vikramsinh Raje Ghatge, the late head of the Kagal royal family. The meeting was convened by his son Samarjeet, who is close to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Samarjeet wanted to decide his future course of action after it became clear that the Kagal assembly seat would go to sitting MLA and minister Hasan Mushrif of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar) in the upcoming polls.
The Ghatges and Mushrifs are known political opponents. In 2019, Samarjeet had contested as an independent against Mushrif (that time the seat went to the undivided Shiv Sena which was in an alliance with the BJP) and finished second with over 88,000 votes. Now with the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP being part of the ruling Mahayuti along with the BJP and the Shinde faction of the Sena, the BJP is unable to deliver on the promise it made to Samarjeet that he would be the party's candidate from Kagal in the 2024 assembly elections.
This story is from the September 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 08, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
POSTERS OF PROTEST
Appupen is a cartoonist who has published a few graphic novels, the latest being Dream Machine, about how AI can be a great 1 tool for an! authoritarian regime.
CLASH OF THE CIVILISATION
Even as the discovery of the Indus Valley Civilisation completes a century, some key aspects of this ancient culture remain mysterious, including its script. While the controversy over whether it was disrupted by an Aryan invasion may now be discredited, the debate over Indus ancestry and current links continues
A PROVEN PATHWAY TO PEACE
Low-cost, easy to implement, immediate results, and scientifically verified.
FOOTBALL GIVES THEM A KICK
For the children of Manipur and Mizoram, the great game is a way to a prosperous future
BATTLE FOR TOMORROW
Over the past decade, much has been said about India's potential as a leading global power.
THE TONGUE THAT TURNED
Why Greek survived while Latin and Sanskrit declined
USTAD ZAKIR HUSSAIN 1951-2024: HIS MUSIC WAS THERAPY TO THE WORLD
Flautist and Grammy co-winner Rakesh Chaurasia remembers the maestro
The magic of indigo
I really can't imagine why more of us don't throng Goa each December for the Serendipity Arts Festival alone. The festival, in its ninth year now, has the entire Panjim town celebrating.
NEW YEAR.NEW HOPE
EQUITY MARKETS HAVE TURNED VOLATILE OF LATE. WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEW YEAR
Seeking middle ground in Middle East
The collapse of assumptions is like the end of the world-or worldview. We assumed conwith the 20th century. But wars in Russia-Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Lebanon prove us wrong. Western defence officials now raise the nuclear threat level.
