Question mark over regional parties’ role ahead of 2024 general elections

MUMBAI: The recent split in the Shiv Sena, followed by the NCP, in a gap of one year raises worrying questions about the role and relevance of regional parties in Maharashtra politics ahead of the 2024 general elections.

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The twin split is a reminder that notwithstanding their long innings in the state’s politics, the NCP and Sena failed to stave off the BJP threat as the two parties ignored their core values and paid little attention to internecine differences. Also, both Sena and NCP failed to gear up the party rank and file in recent years, said observers.
“It’s not that all have made a beeline to the BJP because of the ED crackdown. Uddhav Thackeray did not adhere to the Sena’s Hindutva credo; he crossed over to the secular parties, leaving the grassroots-level Shiv Sainik clueless about Thackeray’s overnight transformation. Also, Thackeray didn’t do much to smooth the ruffled feathers of Eknath Shinde. Ditto with Sharad Pawar. The NCP patriarch ought to have suitably pacified his nephew Ajit Pawar well in time,” said a former civil servant.

The setback to the NCP-Sena has taken the steam out of the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) sail on which Sharad Pawar had pinned his hopes to flag off his opposition unity project ahead of the 2024 polls, he said, adding, “Maharashtra’s politicians have for nearly two decades been showing scant regard for ideology, organisational networking and public opinion.”



Many think the BJP has taken a cue from the Congress to cut regional parties to size. In its attempts to replace the Congress as a pan-Indian party, the BJP has by default began to wear the Congress colours, said political experts. Back in the 1960s, the Congress left no stone unturned to ride roughshod over small parties, they recalled.

Well-entrenched in Maharashtra thanks to stalwarts such as Yashwantrao Chavan, Vasantrao Naik and Vasantdada Patil, the Congress, in a well-planned strategy euphemistically titled ‘berjeche rajkaran’ (politics of more the merrier) by Chavan, made a dent in the strongholds of the Peasants and Workers Party, which had pockets of influence in the rural heartland.



Wedded to the teachings of Marx and Mahatma Phule, the PWP had an impressive presence in the legislative assembly. The Pawar clan had close ideological affinity with PWP before Sharad Pawar joined the Congress bandwagon in 1957, said old-timers. The Congress also reined in the Socialist-Communist parties, which had a remarkable following in the urban belt — especially in Mumbai, where they controlled several popular trade unions.

“The Congress made clever use of the Shiv Sena to reduce the Left-Socialist influence among Mumbai’s cloth mill and civic workers. In the 1960s many Socialist and Republican Party of India leaders — Prabhakar Kunte, Dadasaheb Rupwate and, in later years, Ramdas Athavale — went to the Congress,” said political analyst Vinod Chavan. “In our kind of politics the big fish gobbles up the small fish,” said the bureaucrat. The BJP hopes to add to its seat tally in the Lok Sabha election because of the NCP split. A senior BJP strategist said, “The Shirur seat is safe for BJP because of Dilip Walse-Patil, Beed (Dhananjay Munde), Nashik (Chhagan Bhujbal) and Raigad (Sunil Tatkare) and so forth. We want PM Modi to return to office with a thumping majority,” he said.

The presence of NCP ministers in the state cabinet will also help the BJP secure support of the Maratha community, which is known for its political and financial clout in Maharashtra, he stated.