Maharashtra polls: Kin of politicians in fray, BJP fields candidates related to historical figures

NEW DELHI: Cutting across ideologies, a large number of relatives of politicians have been fielded by all the major political parties for the October 21 assembly election in Maharashtra. While Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena have fielded candidates whose relatives are either living or died not too long ago, the ruling BJP has chosen candidates related to historical personalities.
In its first list of 125 candidates released on October 1, BJP included three names, which had special mention by party general secretary Arun Singh.
Singh said Shivendrasinh Abhayanraje Bhonsale, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, would contest from Satara seat.
Singh also said Udayanraje Bhonsale would fight the election for Satara constituency for the Lok Sabha bypoll and said he is a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji and has been fielded.
Both Shivendrasinh and Udayanraje were NCP MLA and MP respectively from Satara before resigning from their seats and joining BJP.
Born on February 19, 1630, Chhatrapati Shivaji set up the Maratha empire. He died on April 3, 1680. More than three centuries later, his descendants are contesting on a BJP ticket in Maharashtra.
Arun Singh also announced the name of Pune mayor Mukta Tilak, great granddaughter-in-law of freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, as the candidate from Kasba Pet.
Born on July 23, 1856 Lokmanya Tilak is considered one of the first leaders of the Indian freedom movement. He was also one of the first proponents of self rule (swaraj). He had given the clarion call of “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”. He died on August 1, 1920.
Like other parties, BJP's candidate list also includes those who are related to politicians.
State minister Pankaja Munde, daughter of former BJP leader late Gopinath Munde, is contesting from Parli in Beed district.
Rohini Khadse, daughter of former Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse, has been fielded by BJP from Muktainagar. Eknath Khadse had resigned from Devendra Fadnavis government in 2016 on charges of financial irregularities.
Namita Mundada, daughter-in-law of NCP MLA late Vimaltai Mundada, is contesting from Kej constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) members.
Interestingly, Namita’s name was included in BJP’s second list after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had already announced her candidature from his party.
Nilesh Rane, former Congress MLA and son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane, is contesting on a BJP ticket from Kankavali.
Similarly, Bharat Gavit, son of nine-term Congress MP from Nandurbar Manikrao Gavit, has been fielded by BJP from Nawapur constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates.
Sunil Rane, son of former BJP minister Datta Rane, has been fielded by the party from Borivili.
NCP's candidates
Similar to BJP, NCP also has a long list of candidates who are related to senior politicians.
Interestingly, the Maharashtra assembly election is also witnessing at least three contests between close relatives who are kin of senior politicians.
Leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde is the nephew of Gopinath Munde. He is contesting against his cousin Pankaja Munde from Parli in Beed district.
Similarly, Sandeep Kshirsagar is contesting on an NCP ticket against his estranged uncle Jaydutt Kshirsagar from Beed constituency. Jaydutt himself was in NCP earlier but later joined Shiv Sena and is a minister in the Fadnavis government.
Moreover, Aditi Tatkare, daughter of former state minister Sunil Tatkare, is contesting from Shriwardhan constituency against her cousin Avdhut Tatkare of Shiv Sena.
Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar is contesting from Baramati while his grandson Rohit Pawar has been fielded by NCP in Karjat Wankhede.
Pankaj Bhujbal, son of former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, has been fielded from Nandgaon. Chhagan Bhujbal himself is contesting from Yeola seat.
Congress list
Congress has its own share of candidates who are kin of senior politicians.
Former chief minister Ashok Chavan is the son of Shankarrao Chavan who himself was a chief minister. He is contesting from Bhokar constituency.
Pariniti Shinde, daughter of former Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, has been fielded by Congress from Solapur Central constituency.
Two sons of former chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh - Dheeraj Deshmukh and Amit Deshmukh - are in the fray on Congress ticket from Latur Rural and Latur constituencies.
Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is contesting from Karad South constituency, comes from an influential political family of Maharashtra.
His father Dajisaheb Chavan was a Lok Sabha MP from Karad constituency from 1957 to 1973 and was also a minister in the cabinets of prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.
After Dajisaheb's death in 1973, Prithviraj Chavan's mother Premalakaki Chavan was elected from Karad 1973 bypoll and in the general elections of 1977, 1984, and 1989.
Shiv Sena
The party ruling Maharashtra in alliance with BJP has its own share of dynasty politics, though of a different nature, in the forthcoming assembly election.
Ever since Shiv Sena was founded on June 19, 1966, Bal Thackeray remained its supremo till his death on November 17, 2012.
During this period, none of the Thackerays contested any election.
Shiv Sena came to power in Maharashtra and also at the Centre in alliance with BJP. Its leader Manohar Joshi even became the state chief minister and later Lok Sabha speaker. But Bal Thackeray kept away from contesting any election.
His son Uddhav Thackeray, who was made Shiv Sena’s working president in 2003 and later took over as the party’s full-fledged chief after Bal Thackeray’s death, has also not contested any election.
However, Uddhav’s son Aaditya Thackeray, who is the president of Shiv Sena youth wing Yuva Sena, has decided to enter the electoral fray - a first for the Thackeray family.
Aaditya, 29, has filed his nomination from Worli constituency and is likely to be made the Maharashtra deputy chief minister if he wins and the BJP-Shiv Sena garners majority on October 24, when votes would be counted.