“There have been no elections since 2017. Throughout this time, there was a era that developed political ambitions and waited for elections to happen. That is why we noticed loads of confusion and resentment,” he stated.
“After these native physique polls, no elections might be held within the state within the close to future. Subsequently, it stays to be seen what the political way forward for Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde might be. Additionally, whether or not MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) and Shiv Sena (UBT) will survive for an additional 4 years might be determined based mostly on the outcomes of those elections.”
Under are the highest 5 main themes that have been hottest in voting campaigns.
unopposed victory in an election
Whereas unopposed elections aren’t unusual in native authorities polls, the variety of candidates who gained unopposed this time was stunning.
A complete of 69 candidates have been elected unopposed in 29 native authorities firms, considerably exceeding the 11 candidates who have been elected final time. A lot of the unopposed winners have been from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) and Shiv Sena.
Of those, the BJP acquired 44 votes, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena acquired 22 votes and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Get together (NCP) acquired two votes. One impartial winner was an impartial candidate.
In Kalyan-Dombivli company, house of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan and Eknath Shinde and Shrikant Shinde, 22 folks gained unopposed. Within the final elections from 2010 to 2017, there have been 11 such candidates.
Opposition events accused the Bharatiya Janata Get together and the ruling Mahayuti of utilizing “strain ways” and claimed candidates have been threatened or enticed with cash or posts to withdraw their candidatures. They demanded voting in these wards.
Nevertheless, the State Election Fee (SEC) stated that since NOTA (not one of the above) shouldn’t be really a candidate, no voting will happen if there is just one participant within the fray. It added {that a} re-vote can solely be held if NOTA receives extra votes than the candidates.
MNS’s Avinash Jadhav went to the Bombay Excessive Courtroom demanding an inquiry into what number of candidates have been elected uncontested. Behind these victories, he claimed, was a “pressured withdrawal.”
fewer candidates
Whereas the variety of unopposed candidates elevated sharply, the entire variety of candidates decreased by 8.6% to fifteen,931 from 17,432 between 2014 and 2018, in line with the SEC web site.
In Mumbai, the variety of candidates plummeted by 25%, from 2,275 to 1,700. The state of affairs was comparable throughout the Mumbai metropolitan space, with a decline of 35 per cent in Kalyan-Dombivli district and 26 per cent in Navi Mumbai district.
In keeping with the SEC, the variety of corporations elevated from 22 in 2000 to 27 from 2014 to 2018, and presently stands at 29.
Deshpande stated that this time, new alliances have been fashioned similar to Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Congress, so events that fought individually final time have merged and candidates have come collectively.
He added that cash was additionally an element discouraging independents from collaborating in elections. Many couldn’t afford the excessive prices of campaigning, as candidates needed to spend on giant rallies, ads, and social media campaigns.
As well as, the wards are additional subdivided, ‘elements’ The restricted variety of voters in these areas makes it harder for independents.
“Subsequently, this election has fewer candidates in comparison with the final time,” Deshpande stated.
Infighting between alliances
The election was marked by twisted alliances and infighting, not solely between the Mahayuti Get together and the Maha Vikas Aghadi Get together (MVA), but in addition inside the alliance itself.
The Mahayuti faction seemed to be cut up in lots of locations, with the NCP (AP) contesting individually in Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. In Nashik, Shiv Sena and NCP(AP) have been collectively, however the BJP went separate methods.
In Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Company (BMC), the Shiv Sena (UBT) had fashioned an alliance with the NCP (SP) and MNS, whereas the Congress contested alone. Equally, in Thane, Shiv Sena (UBT) allied with MNS and NCP (SP) whereas Congress fought individually.
Other than the brand new alliance, the BJP is trying to kind an alliance with AIMIM and Congress respectively within the Akot and Ambernath municipal council polls. In each these municipal councils, native organizations of the BJP and different political events determined to kind alliances with one another.
In Ambernath, the Bharatiya Janata Get together and native models of the Congress united to maintain the Shinde Sena at bay, whereas in Akot, the Bharatiya Janata Get together joined forces with its ideological rival AIMIM.
Each these alliances have been controversial and the Bharatiya Janata Get together’s state management needed to intervene. In Ambernath, the Bharatiya Janata Get together introduced Congress MPs into its fold, however Shinde asserted energy with the help of the NCP (AP) and independents, pulling the rug out from below it.
Nevertheless, the Bharatiya Janata Get together managed to return out on prime in Akot. After the riots, it introduced the NCP and elements of the Shiv Sena below its umbrella whereas holding AIMIM, Congress and VBA out of energy.
Shifting alliances have led political events to bicker with one another, accusing one another of corruption, appeasement, and inefficiency.
In Navi Mumbai, for instance, Ganesh Naik of the BJP accused Eknath Shinde of company mismanagement. In Mumbai, the BJP rejected an alliance with the NCP (AP). The reason being that its chief, Nawab Malik, faces allegations of hyperlinks with the underworld. Malik additionally accused Fadnavis and Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Get together chief Annamalai of taking part in divisive politics and polarizing voters.
Even Ajit Pawar accused the BJP of taking part in communal politics within the BMC.
The battle between Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis has intensified in Pune, with Pawar accusing Fadnavis of corruption conferences throughout his tenure within the Pune Municipal Company and saying that none of his guarantees have been fulfilled. Fadnavis countered that Pawar “simply talks” whereas working.
The Congress additionally accused the MNS of not partnering with the Shiv Sena (UBT) because it had beforehand used a joint card. He additionally accused the Bharatiya Janata Get together, Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS of taking part in the linguistic and communal card in deciding the Mumbai mayor.
“After the meeting polls, the MVA collapsed within the native physique polls, so I really feel that the Mahayuti is strategically making an attempt to seize maintain of the opposition.So their intentions appear to be: “Aap mein rad, saare unhealthy.” (Let’s struggle collectively, let’s all transfer ahead). So, in areas the place opposition was sturdy, the alliance remained intact and in different areas, the Mahayutis fought individually,” Deshpande stated.
Marathi phrase “manus” attracts consideration
The state authorities’s decision permitting Hindi to be made a obligatory language from Commonplace 1 to three in state training has reignited the difficulty of imposition of Hindi and marginalization of Marathi.
In consequence, the Marathi ‘manus’ situation turned central to the marketing campaign, with the Thackeray brothers specializing in the identification of the Marathi ‘manus’. They even claimed that the Mumbai elections have been “do-or-die” for the Marathi phrase “manu” and urged them to vote cautiously.
In the meantime, Mahayuti leaders assured voters that nobody can destroy Mumbai and that Marathi tradition and language will stay a precedence.
The election introduced again reminiscences of the Samyukta Maharashtra motion of the Nineteen Fifties, by which Prabodinkar Thackeray, the Thackeray brothers’ grandfather, led the struggle.
If the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS desires to tackle the ruling Mahayuti, it must consolidate the Marathi vote.
Through the years, the Marathi vote has been divided between the undivided Shiv Sena, the MNS and, to some extent, the BJP. Nevertheless, the Sena (UBT)-MNS is hopeful that the Marathi ‘Manus’ plan will assist solidify Marathi votes for the alliance.
Adani: the most recent entrant
Businessman Gautam Adani additionally triggered controversy through the election marketing campaign. On Sunday, Raj Thackeray displayed a map of India displaying Adani’s increasing footprint. He claimed that the Adani empire has grown solely within the final 10 years since 2014, because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
