Grapes of wrath in north Maharashtra

NCP's Chhagan Bhujbal, who has repeatedly won from Yeola, BJP leader Girish Mahajan who has won multiple times in Jamner and veteran leader Eknath Khadse are prominent faces in the region. But, this time, none is confident about his prospects.

- Rohit Chandavarkar

If there is a region of Maharashtra usually ignored by observers, pollsters and the national media in any election, it is north Maharashtra. Nashik – the wine capital of India, and Nandurbar and Dhule – the tribal belt, the first on the constituency list, and Malegaon, which has always witnessed vibrant political action ahead of polls, are unable to attract the attention of national media unlike Mumbai, western Maharashtra or Vidarbha. But in the assembly polls of 2024, all parties seem to be focussing on north Maharashtra, as most expect that in the entire state, it is likely to be a neck-and-neck fight between the BJP-led Mahayuti and the opposing Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and every seat won will matter in the final tally.