The 2024 Assembly elections, which are set for November 20, are currently the most important major event in Maharashtra. As the state gets ready for this important election fight, many things are happening that are changing the story. One of the most important is the controversial decision by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to drop out of the election [1, 4].
Important Changes
The Withdrawal of Manoj Jarange-Patil
Manoj Jarange-Patil, a well-known leader in the Maratha quota movement, said on November 4, 2024, that he would not be running for office in the future elections. At first, he planned to back 10 to 15 candidates, but after talking to people in the Maratha community, he changed his mind. He stressed that the community should choose for itself who to support based on their dedication to Maratha rights. His resignation is important because it could bring together anti-BJP voters, which could help the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, which is made up of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP [2, 4].
Strategies and campaigns for politics
As the election date gets closer, both groups are stepping up their campaigns. Uddhav Thackeray will start his campaign on November 5 by focussing on areas where MLAs who left the party during Eknath Shinde’s revolt in 2022 stood. The goal of this plan is to get back ground that was lost and immediately challenge Shinde’s group [4]. At the same time, the Congress party has started running ads criticising how the current Mahayuti government is dealing with farmers’ problems, pointing out that they are not giving farmers enough money for crop loss and minimum support prices [1, 4].
The BJP’s Plan for the Election
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also stepping up its efforts. From November 8 to 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to speak at a number of rallies in Maharashtra. The BJP’s campaign will probably focus on what it has done well while also trying to counterattacks from the other parties on questions of social justice and government [4].
What this means for Maharashtra’s politics
Withdrawing Jarange-Patil could have a big effect on the election results by keeping votes from splitting between groups that are against the BJP. His support in the past was seen as a possible threat to the MVA coalition. Now, his decision could bring together voters who are against the alliance led by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis [1][2].
Also, the MVA coalition is getting stronger under Thackeray’s direction and is focussing on farmers and other disadvantaged groups who are unhappy. This is making the tension between the two main alliances, the NDA (led by the BJP) and INDIA (led by the opposition), feel real. The results of this election will not only affect how Maharashtra is run in the future, but they will also show national trends as India gets ready for its general elections in 2024 [2, 3].
Bottom Line
As Maharashtra’s Assembly elections get closer, there is a lot of political activity going on, including planning ahead and getting people to vote. The choices made by important people like Jarange-Patil will have effects that go beyond just the results of elections. They will change how people feel about their community and how they support political parties in a state that has long been a signpost for Indian politics. Parties will be finalising their plans over the next few weeks, and voters will be getting ready to make choices that could change Maharashtra’s politics for years to come [1, 2].
Citations:
[1] https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/maharashtra/maharashtra-assembly-elections-2024-sharad-pawar-nana-patole-welcome-ec-decision-to-transfer-dgp-3261072
[2] https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/maharashtra/maharashtra-assembly-elections-2024-14th-assembly-has-been-tumultuous-changed-course-of-the-states-politics-3232689
[3] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/
[4] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/maharashtra-election-jharkhand-election-2024-live-updates-eknath-shinde-ajit-pawar-hemant-soren-bjp-congress-jmm-india-bloc/liveblog/114898664.cms
[5] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/maharashtra-politics
[6] https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/maharashtra-elections-mva-mahayuti-debutants-9647703/
[7] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/maratha-quota-activist-manoj-jarange-pills-withdraws-from-maharashtra-polls-6938722
[8] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/pradeep-ramchandanis-controversial-remark-sparks-political-firestorm-in-ulhasnagar/articleshow/114902075.cms
