If there is anything that BJP needs to take action on seat allocation or give it a re-think it has to be the Madha Lok Sabha constituency. There is an uproar over the declared BJP candidate Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar for this constituency and the one family that is standing right in front opposing this candidature with few lakh people’s support– is the powerful Mohite Patil family…Now, for the past 2 years Ranjit Sinh Mohite Patil who had come into the BJP fold, the entire Mohite family has been requesting the top brass of Maharashtra BJP to give his brother Dhairyasheel, the chance to fight for the Madha constituency as they feel, they can secure a landslide victory against any opponent whosoever Sharad Pawar led NCP gives.
But the BJP top brass going against the wishes and whims of all the voters have put their trust back in Ranjit Sinh Naik Nimbalkar, whose performance is more than average in the last 5 years when he got a chance as an MP from Madha. Way back in 2019, when Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar was declared a candidate for the BJP, it had thrown shockwaves across Solapur-Satara belt. Mind you, the efficient and having huge political experience over 40 years, who has also been the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil was keen to contest in 2019, but then they had come in the BJP fold and with heavy hearts had accepted Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar and made sure he won from there.
Now we have to understand Madha constituency. Voters of Madha are spread across 2 districts. Solpaur district has 4 Taluka whereas 2 Talukas are from the Satara district. Let me tell you something here. If it had not been the Mohite-Patil family backing in 2019, which gave Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar a lead of 1.19 lakh votes, it was written all over that the BJP was losing that seat. Now there is groupism in this constituency. Every time, be the Mohite Patil’s be with the NCP or Congress in the past, or now in the BJP, every MLA, be all of them in the same party, they all are always against the Mohite’s. Why? It is simple, all of them want an end to the ‘parivar raj’ the Mohite’s have been enjoying since decades altogether. But readers, if they are performing and the janta is extremely happy with them, I don’t see a problem if the family is getting that importance.
Now who are against these families? The current MLAs, I don’t want to name any from all parties of this region, have themselves won with a margin of 700, 1400, 2200 votes and that too in the Modi wave in 2019. I don’t want to get into the past but in short want to say, if there is Pawar dominance in Pune/Baramati, Deshmukh dominance in Latur, Patil dominance in Kolhapur, please accept it–It has to be the Mohite-Patil in Madha. You can forget them, but you certainly can’t ignore them. Look how politics is playing–Ram Satpute who won because of the backing of Mohite-Patil is attending meetings at Mohite-Patil’s opponents farmhouse. But again why to blame him, he is supporting the party…who, I remember, unlike ex-MLA Late Hanumant Dolas who was not the party-but a staunch Mohite Patil loyalist.
After the BJP declared Ranjitsinh Naik Nimblakar for 2024 Loksabha election, for the first time, the Mohite Patil family announced their displeasure as the same has been repeated in 2019. With folded hands the Mohite-family met the BJP top brass in Mumbai a week ago and to solve the issue, ‘Magician’ Girish Mahajan was sent…But let me tell you, I saw everything on TV, the janta was in no mood to accept anything but change in the candidature which to me looks difficult now. It was Girish Mahajan who in his presser had said, that going against the mood of people here it is not at all advisable for the BJP and he would surely have a word with the high command. Prasad Lad too met the Mohite family and asked for an alternate…But the alternate is the Mohite Patil, Prasad ji!!
Now I will tell you public sentiment which is come on TV…People in madha constituency on TV are telling to ‘upset’ Dhairyasheel that if the BJP parliamentary board can await declaring Chhatrapati Udayanraje’s candidate from Satara, what was the need to declare Naik Nimbalkar’s candidature in so much haste? They are urging Dhairyasheel to hold the ‘tutari’ in their hands and secure a seat and fight fair and square. But I know Mohite Patil will not leave the BJP, for sure… Now understand Ganpat Deshmukh’s grandsons, Bhai Jayant Patil who left INDI alliance important meeting and came and met Mohite Patil, it shows by not giving ticket to Mohite Patil’s, it will have an cascading effect for the BJP all across the Western Maharashtra belt, spread till Panvel…
Now, we have to understand as per BJP per se, that Sharad Pawar and Jayant Patil are ready to poach Mohite Patil but they aren’t showing any hurry. Maratha’s and OBC’s who are predominant forces in the Western Maharashtra and Jarange Patil still fresh in public memory the atmosphere is not conducive here for the BJP. Plus the BJP has an advantage of Mohite Patil being Maratha’s and enjoying dominance there. Even Naik Nimbalkar who is a BJP leader is not enjoying a big support here. He too is not leaving any chances to hurt more the Mohite Patil’s…Once in an open forum he said, he will not go to the “Bunglow” to ask for any favours when the time comes (who can give him 1 lakh votes), and the second time he took a meeting at farmhouse of Sanjay Shinde, a staunch opponent for Mohite Patil’s, which has not gone down well. But on the other hand if a family like Munde’s who are BJP’s core, if they have been given 1 family 1 post, isn’t that fair from the BJP? Also, Vijaysinh Mohite Patil was a sitting MP in 2019 from the NCP. They switched to the BJP without asking for anything. Had they held their demand for an MP seat then, things would have been different now as Naik Nimbalkar who got the ticket in 2019 from the BJP, was in Congress 20 days ago before the candidate list was declared!
The fight is within the BJP this time, mind you…If god forbid, Naik Nimbalkar’s candidature remains, he needs to understand the sentiment of entire Madha constituency–don’t ignore the Mohite Patil…and for the Mohite Patil’s if BJP does not give candidate of their choice, have faith in Devendra Fadnavis. Already MLC has been given, I am sure something better and bigger must be in store for Dhairyasheel! Also now, will it be Mohite’s fault, if Naik Nimbalkar loses, or will it be the BJP who is to be blamed, only time will say…!
– Vikrant Hemant Joshi
