Defections A Worry For Mahayuti In Western Maharashtra

A public rally organised to celebrate the birthday of former Union minister Sushilkumar Shinde over the weekend in Solapur, suddenly became a galvanising point for several political groups. Leaders who are now active in Western Maharashtra's sugar and cotton mill belt had private meetings between them and MVA party chiefs. These have now given rise to speculation about how not just one or two but many Mahayuti MLAs from Western Maharashtra may actually crossover to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). The centre of action for this has now shifted from Solapur to Pune where many Mahayuti leaders met NCP founder Sharad Pawar at his residence.

Sushilkumar Shinde's birthday was attended by not just his colleagues from the Congress party but also by NCP founder Sharad Pawar and several heavyweights NCP (SP) and many leaders of the Congress party including Kolhapur Congress MP Chhatrapati Shahu. But the biggest surprise was the presence of several members of the Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil family which some years ago shifted its loyalty towards the BJP. The buzz in Western Maharashtra is about whether Ranjitsinnh Mohite-Patil, the young face of the powerful Mohite-Patil clan, is about to shift to the MVA. If this happens it would be a big shock for the Mahayuti.

Amid speculation about Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil's next political move, a significant development occurred on Monday when six-time NCP MLA Babanrao Shinde from the Madha constituency in Solapur district was seen meeting NCP founder Sharad Pawar in Pune. Shinde is currently aligned with the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP.

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There was speculation in both factions of the NCP that Shinde is perhaps planning to join Sharad Pawar's party though many expressed doubt about whether Sharad Pawar would welcome him back. Another Ajit Pawar camp MLA, Atul Benke from Pune district, was reportedly in touch with the NCP founder.

According to an insider from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) faction, there are two major reasons why several members of the Ajit Pawar camp are now approaching or meeting with Sharad Pawar's party.
Firstly, the poor performance of the NCP in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where the party contested four seats but won only one – Raigad – has created unease among MLAs. Secondly, the seat-sharing discussions in Mahayuti have given many aspirants an indication that their seats may be given to alliance partners.

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The interesting part is that Sharad Pawar does not seem averse to giving entry to many of these leaders because Sharad Pawar feels many of them have a better chance of winning. Insiders say decisions will be announced within days once the elections schedule is known and major defections may be seen from the second week of October.