Regional issues big, can change electoral equation

Once a bastion of the Congress, the BJP has made several gains in the region. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ close aide Girish Mahajan, who hails from here, has been given a free hand to bolster the BJP. Several leaders from the Congress, including former minister Amrish Patel and Manikrao Gavit, who has won the Lok Sabha polls nine times, have joined the BJP.

The BJP, for its part, has ditched Eknath Khadse, getting daughter Rohini Khadse to contest from Muktainagar.
The huge presence of rebels will be a stumbling block for the BJP-Sena combine in the region.

Big Contests: Rohini Khadse from Muktainagar, Chaggan Bhujbal from Yewla.

Issues: - Agrarian crisis, falling onion prices, drought and the Forest Rights Act.

HOME TO CM FADNAVIS
Once a Congress stronghold, with people voting for the party en masse even after Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency, the BJP has over the years made massive inroads.

The issue of statehood propelled the BJP to win 44 of the 62 seats in the region in 2014.

Despite the party not fulfilling the demand for a separate state, it is expected to better its tally.

The Congress won 10 seats from here the previous time and the BJP is trying to limit that to single digits.

The state government has pumped in a lot of money to develop the region, although agrarian distress is acute, with farmers committing suicide due to lack of rainfall and poor production. This region is known for the highest number of farmer suicides in the state.

Big Contests: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis from Nagpur South West, Sudhir Mungantiwar from Ballarpur and Nana Patole from Sakoli.

Issues: Farmers suicides, caste, irrigation projects.

HOME TO BIG LEADERS

A drought prone region, although it has seen plenty of rainfall over the last few days. The defining image of the region has been that of the Railways sending wagon loads of water to drought-hit Latur district in 2016. The region is also home to a sizeable Muslim population, and the Lok Sabha polls saw an AIMIM member of parliament being elected from Aurangabad.

During the previous polls, the Congress had won 9 and the NCP 8 seats. The BJP and the Shiv Sena are looking to better their tally here.

Big Contests: Ashok Chavan of the Congress lost the Lok Sabha polls and he is pushing hard to win the assembly poll. Former Congress CM Vilasrao Deshmukh’s sons Amit and Dhiraj will contest from Latur City and Latur Rural.

Issues: Water scarcity, agrarian distress and lack of jobs.

A LOT AT STAKE FOR PAWARS

Is the sugar belt and the NCP derives its strength from here. For years, it has controlled the politics here through local leaders who ran the sugar cooperatives. The four parliamentary seats that the NCP won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are from this region. The BJP’s push to finish off or neutralise the Sharad Pawar-led NCP will depend a lot on how it does here.

The BJP has roped in many Maratha leaders from the Congress and NCP and given tickets to Marathas from here.

Big Contests: Rohit Pawar from Karjat Jamkhed. Maharashtra Congress Chief Balasaheb Thorat from Sangamner. Prithviraj Chavan from Karad and Praniti Shinde from Solapur.

Issues: Lack of timely relief to flood victims in Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Pune. The economic slowdown, and closure of industries.

CAPITAL CITY SETS MOOD

This includes Raigad, Ratnagiri and the Mumbai metropolitan region, where the NCP and Congress are bracing for a hammering.

The NCP has a presence in Raigad and Ratnagiri and is trying to put up a tough fight here. The ?3 lakh crore Nanar refinery that was to be built in Ratnagiri is a poll issue, with the BJP hinting that it is not averse to bringing the project back if the people want it, whereas the Sena is opposed to the move. The Konkan region will also see the Shiv Sena putting up its official candidate against the BJP's Nitesh Rane.

The Congress and the NCP have been using the PMC bank scam to beat the BJP and Sena with, along with allegations of bad infrastructure. The BJP is at an advantage in Mumbai and Thane due to the huge North Indian and Marathi voters.

Big Contests: Aditya Thackeray from Worli, Pradeep Sharma from Nalasopara, former Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar from Bandra West. Aditi Tatkare, daughter of NCP leader Sunil Tatkare, from Shrivardhan.

Issues: The infrastructural upgrades, Aarey Colony fight, the PMC bank scam, and the economic slowdown.