Maharashtra: Politicians of all shades are jumping from one party to another with no qualms

Mumbai: Whatever is happening in Maharashtra in the name of electoral politics is unprecedented. After the 2003 split into two mainline parties, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Shiv Sena, what seems to matter is which party gives a ticket to a politician. It is not that the state has not had its share of turncoats but now it is at a dizzying height.

Here are a few good examples. Chhgan Bhujbal, a minister, maneuvered to have his son, Pankaj Bhujbal into the Legislative Council on the list nominated by the governor just before the code of conduct came into force. The list of 12 was kept pending all through the life of the government tenure but a new one was drawn up of five persons by the lame-duck government.

Days later, his nephew, a former MP, gave up the chiefship of the Mumbai unit of NCP and decided to contest from Nandgaon as an independent. The NCP had no time to blink because the party was busy welcoming others into its fold, each one a likely key supporter or a person with influence or even an “electoral merit”. Like the son of the recently murdered Baba Siddiqui to contest against Uddhav Thackeray’s nephew.

It is as if each politician is ensuring his and his near one’s future in the politically unsettled times. Narayan Rane, former chief minister who meandered to the BJP meet’s the party’s alliance partner, Shiv Sena (Shinde) to get his one son, Nilesh a ticket from that party. The other son, Nitesh, is seeking reelection from a neighbouring party on BJP ticket. The whole game is of two kinds: one, family versus family; two, all-n-the family.

Of the latter, there are two examples: Ajit Pawar, a deputy chief minister who brazenly defied his uncle Sharad Pawar and split the original NCP, now finds his nephew, Yugender contesting against him in Baramati. It is in Baramati that Ajit’s wife, Sunetra lost to Sharad Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule. Days after the defeat, he had her elected to the Rajya Sabha using his party’s quota of votes in the legislature.

One had mistakenly thought that Ajit Pawar would leave the Baramati legislative constituency alone after the larger parliamentary constituency gave Sunetra a drubbing. It was Ajit who spoke at a political event that had rebelled against his uncle and splitting the party was a “mistake”. He did not want Bhagyashri Atram-Halgekar of his party to rebel against her father, Dharmarao Atram.

His “been there, done that” tone indicated he may choose a different constituency. But Bhagyashri rebelled, joined Sharad Pawar’s party, and got a ticket to contest from a seat in Eastern Vidarbha. NCP (AP) prevailed on him to contest from Baramati which had –till his wife lost from the pocket borough which never let him down. From early September to October end, a lot of water has flown under the bridge.

This family Vs family or all-in-the-family nature of politics is not an issue only with the Pawar clan alone. Even the descendants of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Maratha warrior, have also been touched by it. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, the 12th descendent of the ruler, now a Congress MP finds his son, Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati has floated a new party, the Swarajya Sanghatana which may be a third lineup in this election.

Now all descendants of the Maratha emperor tag ‘raje’ to their christened – or given – names. It is their practice now to use ‘Chhatrapati’ as their surnames instead of Shahu (if from the Kolhapur lineage) and Bhosale (if from the Satara lineage). It denotes the princely lineage. Dharmarao Atram is from a small principality in Gadchiroli, Aheri but not a Chhatrapati.

Damn-the-ideology attitude has reached a stage where even BJP aspirants have shifted to being Independents to get on the ballot. To be a legislator is seen as being a kind of prince who can swagger around and build their small pocket boroughs and emerge as influential in a district and then build their families as private limited companies holding sway over swaths. There are innumerable political clans.

They switch parties, constituencies, or simply put, for power alone. For them, it is all in the family. Take Ganesh Naik, a career Shiv Sainik, who was once a minister and held sway over Navi Mumbai. Every member of his extended family has at least been a municipal council member, a mayor, an MLA, or even an MP. He switched to the NCP and later to the BJP. When his son, Sandip did not get a ticket, the switchover to Shinde Sena was natural.