The Maharashtra poll is turning out to be an interesting battle with two camps of the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party contesting the assembly elections for the first time.
While the ruling Mahayuti- comprising of the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP is looking to win another term in Maharashtra, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi is looking to wrest control of the state, it held till June 2022.
One of the interesting developments in Maharashtra has been the role of the rebels which have become a cause of concern for both the camps in the state.
An assessment of the candidates list in Maharashtra shows at least 50 candidates, have been denied tickets from the parties, and have entered the fray as Independents, a move that could split the vote share of both the camps and tilt the vote share in favour of the rival candidates.
A significant majority of the 50 rebel candidates are aligned with the Mahayuti camp, with the BJP having the highest number of rebels. While the ruling Mahayuti has 36 rebel candidates, the Maha Vikas Aghadi have 14 rebels.
In the Mahayuti camp, the BJP has the highest number of rebels, with 19 party members running independently. Of the 19 rebels, 16 BJP leaders have quit and joined either Shinde Sena or Ajit Pawar's NCP to secure a ticket to contest the Assembly polls. While 12 BJP rebels will be contesting from the Shinde Sena, the remaining 4 have been fielded by the NCP-Ajit Pawar faction. After the BJP, 16 rebels are from Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and one from Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
The prominent rebels from the BJP, includes Gopal Shetty from Borivali fighting against the official candidate Sanjay Upadhyay; and Sameer Bhujbal, nephew of NCP minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who is fighting against Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande as an Independent in Nandgaon.
Out of the 14 rebels in Maha Vikas Aghadi, the highest number of rebels are from the Congress with 10 candidates and the remaining are from Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT). The 14 rebels of the MVA are in addition to the candidates of alliance partners who have filed their nominations in the constituencies, including Kurla, South Solapur, Paranda, Sangola and Pandharpur.
The rebels from Shinde's Shiv Sena are contesting from the seats where the BJP has fielded its candidates - Airoli in Navi Mumbai, Andheri East in Mumbai, Pachora in Jalgaon district and Belapur in Thane district.
Meanwhile, the BJP rebels are contesting on seats allotted to Shiv Sena, including Alibag and Karjat in Raigad district, Buldhana, Jalna and Borivali in Mumbai suburbs. BJP rebels are contesting against Ajit Pawar's NCP on 9 seats, while Shiv Sena rebels are contesting on 7 seats allotted to the junior Pawar's party. The sole NCP rebel has filed his nomination against the Shiv Sena candidate from Nandgaon in Nashik district.
In the MVA camp, there are 4 Congress rebels who are contesting against the opposition bloc's candidates in seats, including Kopri Pachpakhadi in Thane district, where Eknath Shinde is also contesting.
Uddhav's Shiv Sena (UBT) rebels are contesting in Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai, where SP state chief Abu Azmi is also contesting. The Shiv Sena (UBT) rebels are also contesting in Vasova in Mumbai and Mehkar in Buldhana district.
Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) rebel candidates have filed their candidature against the alliance candidates of Shiv Sena (UBT) or Congress in some seats. In the remaining seats, the NCP (SP) is facing a tight contest from rebels from its other allies or its own camp.
The MVA has announced 286 candidates, covering almost all of the 288 Assembly seats, while the Mahayuti has fielded 284 candidates.
The ruling BJP is contesting 148 assembly seats in Maharashtra, the highest among half a dozen major political parties in the ruling and opposition camps.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded candidates in 80 seats, while Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's NCP has nominated 53 contestants for the November 20 polls.
Congress, the second largest party in Maharashtra in terms of candidates contesting the elections, is contesting on 103 seats. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) is fighting on 89 seats, while Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) has declared candidates on 87 seats.
Nearly 8,000 candidates, including those from major political parties in the ruling Mahyuti as well as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), filed nominations for the 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra.
