Mahayuti Rift Widens Ahead Of Maharashtra MLC Polls
In Amravati, BJP rebel Dilip Kadu is contesting against Shiv Sena’s official candidate Kiran Sarnaik.
Mumbai:Differences within the ruling Mahayuti alliance have surfaced ahead of the Vidhan Parishad elections for graduate and teachers’ constituencies. In Amravati, BJP rebel Dilip Kadu is contesting against Shiv Sena’s official candidate Kiran Sarnaik. The move could also affect the elections in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena has downplayed the disputes as ‘minor exceptions’ and maintained public confidence that the alliance will ultimately secure all five seats when votes are counted on October 27.
However, in Pune, there is speculation that the Shiv Sena may support rebel candidate Sachin Sanap if the party faces difficulties in Amravati, which has emerged as a flashpoint in the Mahayuti alliance.
The ruling alliance officially allotted Amravati seat to Shinde Shiv Sena, which fielded incumbent MLC Kiran Sarnaik. However, with Dilip Kadu – a prominent figure from the Vidarbha Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh – deciding to contest, the BJP has had to deal with internal rebellion. Multiple BJP rebels (including Sangeeta Shinde-Bonde and Chandrashekhar Bhuyar) entered the fray independently, leading the BJP leadership to officially expel them for anti-party activities.
Shinde recently visited Amravati and Yavatmal to meet local party leaders and his Shiv Sena faction held strategy meetings in Amravati. It was decided to make an outreach regarding the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi for the elections.
In Pune Teachers’ Constituency, Shinde announced Shiv Sena’s support for rebel candidate Sachin Sanap, highlighting seat-sharing differences between the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP within the Mahayuti coalition.
Aggrieved by the lack of local support and cross-party friction in Amravati, Shiv Sena factions have also threatened to retaliate in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Marathwada Graduates) constituency. Shinde Sena indicated that if their candidate Sarnaik does not get unified alliance backing in Amravati, Shiv Sena workers may withhold support for the Mahayuti’s official nominee in Marathwada, Satish Chavan.
Similar seat-sharing rifts have manifested in Pune. In the Pune Graduates and Teachers constituencies, alliance discipline fractured as local leaders from partner parties backed independent or rebel candidates against the official candidates.
