Clash of the titans in Raigad to feel impact of split in Sena & NCP

RAIGAD : The coastal district of Raigad in Konkan , around 100km from Mumbai, hosts luxury villas of the city’s elite in its Alibaug belt. But large parts of the district remain underdeveloped and face the brunt of recurring landslides and cyclones. It’s here in a region dominated by farmers and fishermen that sitting MP Sunil Tatkare , the state chief of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar , takes on Anant Geete from the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, who has represented the Konkan region six times.

Tatkare had defeated Geete in the 2019 polls by over 31,000 votes, when he had contested from an undivided NCP.

Tatkare, who has been in the state cabinet multiple times, had faced several controversies including allegations of irregularities in irrigation contracts and a disproportionate assets case. Geete, a close associate of party founder Bal Thackeray, has had several stints in the Union cabinet, handling the power and heavy industries portfolio.

This election will test the impact of the BJP -triggered split in Shiv Sena as well as NCP. In 2019, Geete had the support of BJP, Shiv Sena’s ally. This time, Tatkare is a candidate of the BJP-led Mahayuti. Only one of the six assembly segments in the district has an MLA from Shiv Sena (UBT).

On the ground, though, there are strong views about the splitting of the parties in a region which has been a stronghold of the Shiv Sena. “We voted for the NCP’s Tatkare in the last election and now his party has joined hands with the BJP. There is no respect for the voter,” says shopkeeper Gyanchand Jaiswal in Mhasale village.

Tatkare will lose the support of the Peasants and Workers Party which commands 2 lakh votes in this region and is part of the INDIA alliance. Also, he is likely to lose a substantial Muslim vote in the region. This is why NCP recently inducted ex-MLC Mushtaq Antulay, son-in-law of former chief minister A R Antulay.

However, this has not pacified Muslim voters who are unhappy with Tatkare’s ties with the BJP. “It’s a party that does not think of us and does not have space for us,” said a Muslim vegetable vendor. The large chunk of Kunbi votes here are likely to go to Geete who is from the community.

The campaign is seeing the opponents make personal attacks on each other. Tatkare says Geete has largely been missing from the constituency. “There is a lot of anger against Geete. When I lost the polls in 2014, I remained with the people. But after Geete lost in 2019, he went missing. He was not there during the pandemic or during the floods or cyclones,” Tatkare told TOI.

Geete says Tatkare’s betrayal of NCP founder Sharad Pawar and corruption charges will go against him. “In 2019, the BJP had called the NCP the National Corrupt Party. Now Tatkare is their ally. People will not accept this,” he told TOI. “This is an election of bhrashtachar (corruption) versus sadachar (good conduct). And sadachar will win,” he said. Having represented the area multiple times, Geete faces charges of failing to uplift the district. Mumbai-Goa highway which is incomplete after a decade is a sticking point. “The highway comes under Central govt. If I am elected, I will pursue it,” says Geete.

Tatkare faces allegations of dynastic politics. His daughter Aditi Tatkare is an MLA and state minister while his son Aniket Tatkare is an MLC. Tatkare’s brother Anil Tatkare was an MLC and nephew Avadhut Tatkare was an MLA. For Tatkare, animosity from within is an added challenge. Mahad MLA Bharat Gogawale from the Shiv Sena of chief minister Eknath Shinde has been sulking after he was overlooked for state cabinet.