Mumbai: In Maharashtra’s heartland region of Marathwada, the ruling Mahayuti is facing a tough battle, trailing in 7 out of 8 seats. The alliance—comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar)—has been feeling the heat of the Maratha quota protests that erupted in the region last August and quickly spread across the state.
In Jalna, where the protests started with Manoj Jarange Patil becoming the face of the Maratha reservation movement, BJP’s Raosaheb Danve is trailing by 6,100 votes against Congress’s Kalyan Kale.
Six other constituencies in Marathwada are also leaning towards the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), made up of the Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and NCP (Sharad Pawar).
The only exception is Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, which saw a three-way race between Chandrakant Khaire of Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Sandipan Bhumre of Shiv Sena (Shinde), and incumbent MP Imtiaz Jaleel of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Bhumre is leading by over 5,300 votes, with Jaleel in second place with 87,000 votes, and Khaire in third position with 61,000 votes.
In Parbhani, Shiv Sena UBT’s Sanjay Jadhav is winning with over 84,000 votes, while Mahadev Jankar of RSP (Mahayuti) is trailing with 67,000 votes.
Beed is a surprise, with NCP (Sharad Pawar)’s Bajrang Sonawane leading by nearly 7,000 votes against BJP’s Pankaja Munde. She is the daughter of late BJP stalwart Gopinath Munde, who had won the seat in 2009 and 2014.
In Dharashiv (Osmanabad), Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Omprakash Nimbalkar is winning with over 66,000 votes, while Mahayuti’s Archana Patil is trailing.
In Latur, a reserved seat, Congress’s Kalge Shivaji Bandappa is ahead with over 2,700 votes against BJP’s Tukaram Sudhakar.
In Hingoli, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Nagesh Ashtikar is leading with over 11,000 votes against Shiv Sena (Shinde)’s Baburao Kadam.
Lastly, in Nanded, where Ashok Chavan switched from Congress to BJP before the elections, has not yielded many benefits for the latter party. Here, BJP’s Prataprao Chikhalikar is trailing by 5,000 votes against Congress’s Vasant Chavan, who has secured 88,000 votes.
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Maratha protests
Marathwada, a region known for its drought-prone conditions, has become a focal point in Maharashtra’s political landscape after the wave of protests from Marathas, who make up approximately 31 percent of the state’s population. The community is predominantly concentrated in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra., where OBCs, according to the state Backward Classes Commission, constitute over 38 percent of the population. Marathwada also has a sizable Muslim population.
Since late August 2023, Jalna in Marathwada has been the epicentre of the Maratha quota protests. Demanding Kunbi (OBC) certificates to access reservation benefits, the movement saw multiple fasts and protests led by Manoj Jarange Patil in Jalna.
In response, the state government initiated surveys through the Maharashtra Backward Class Commission, which recommended Kunbi certificates for those with supporting documentation.
In February, during a special assembly session, the Maharashtra government approved a bill to extend a 10 percent reservation to Marathas, based on the commission’s report. However, Jarange Patil opposed this measure, insisting on a quota for Marathas under the OBC category.
Historically, the Maratha community has been divided in their voting preferences. But the agitation appears to have united them. Most seats in the region witnessed Maratha versus Maratha contests, except for Beed.
Here, BJP’s Pankaja Munde, an OBC, contested against MVA’s Bajrang Sonawane, a Maratha, with the latter taking the lead. The area witnessed violence during last year’s Maratha quota stir, with protesters torching the residence of MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar (NCP, Sharad Pawar faction) and a hotel owned by an aide of NCP leader and state minister Chhagan Bhujbal.
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