Maharashtra polls: BJP leaders play musical chairs within the Mahayuti

In Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti coalition is seeing a notable trend as several BJP leaders switch to other partner parties within the coalition — to secure election tickets.

It's seemingly a free-for-all this election season, with candidates keen to enhance their chances of selection within the coalition’s seat-sharing agreement, while 'loyalty' seemingly goes a-begging.

Will this 'fluidity' among coalition partners reshape the electoral dynamics of the state? Or is their support base already so consolidated that it hardly matters?

An analysis of recent political shifts in Maharashtra reveals that several leaders who have transitioned from the BJP to its allies within the Mahayuti coalition are being granted tickets for the 20 November state Assembly elections.

Notably, these candidates are joining either chief minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction or the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction. This strategic manoeuvring within the coalition allows leaders who would be labelled turncoats in another context to secure their positions while still supporting the broader alliance.

It seems more than ethics and values of the party, what matters to each candidate (and indeed, to even the party leaderships) is the constituency — and who might be best able to swing it.

The party line for the Mahayuti coalition has been that the allies are looking to ensure that the 'strongest candidate' is fielded from every constituency, without breaching the seat allotment agreements among partners — maximising the Mahayuti chances in the upcoming elections.

Smacks of a certain desperation? Is the Mahayuti worried anything less than the 'best' will not succeed?

Nilesh Rane, the BJP leader and son of former chief minister and Union minister Narayan Rane, was one of those who recently joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He is set to contest from the Kudal–Sawantwadi assembly seat on the Sena ticket.

Whether Rane’s candidacy will strengthen the coalition’s foothold in the region is open to debate.

Rane, a former Congress MP who switched to the BJP in 2019, will face off against Vaibhav Naik, the sitting MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) who is also a strong adversary of the Rane family.

This contest highlights the intense rivalry between the ruling coalition and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in this constituency in particular.

Four other BJP leaders have similarly joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar.

Notably, former MP Sanjaykaka Patil and district BJP president Nishikant Bhosale Patil from Sangli made the transition during a ceremony in Mumbai, attended by NCP chief Ajit Pawar and state party president Sunil Tatkare.

Following their induction, both Nishikant Bhosale Patil and Sanjaykaka Patil were quickly named as the party's candidates for the upcoming elections. Nishikant will contest from the Islampur assembly seat, while Sanjaykaka will represent the Tasgaon constituency. Their inclusion is expected to enhance the party's appeal in these key constituencies, with both being veteran leaders.

Expressing his reasoning for switching from the BJP to the NCP, Nishikant told The Indian Express, "I had to shift to the NCP from the BJP as the Islampur assembly seat went to the NCP. I will win the election from the Islampur seat on the NCP ticket."

On Friday, 25 October, Prataprao Patil Chikhalikar, the (former) BJP leader from Nanded district, made the switch to the NCP to contest the Loha assembly constituency. Chikhalikar, a former Nanded MP, has previously served as a two-time MLA from Loha. Again, the Mahayuti seems bent on foregrounding experience and banking on 'established' personalities.