NCP vs NCP, Sena vs Sena: Rebels capture the throne, leave dynasts in the dust in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Contained in the war for Maharashtra, a politically significant and arguably the most important state financially, were the twin battles of legacies between rebels and dynasts of Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The rebels led by Eknath Shinde in the case of Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar in the case of NCP had the name and symbol which the other side aimed to retrieve. This, hence, was a fight to decide the rightful heirs.

While most commentaries during campaign and polling gave the edge to Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. But when the results came in on November 24, the rebels had the last laugh.

Nephew beats patriarch in fight for NCP throne

The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, split last year after Ajit Pawar walked away with 41 MLAs and aligned with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP to become part of the Mahayuti government, triggering an acrimonious intra-family rivalry.

Referring to the rivals as "traitors ", Sharad Pawar had asked voters to defeat them "decisively". The results show voters ignored the appeal.

In the 35 seats where they went head-to-head, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP defeated the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) headed by his uncle Sharad Pawar in 29 seats. The latter managed to win in six constituencies.

Ajit Pawar’s team, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti led by the BJP, won 41 of the 59 seats it contested, as per the Election Commission's figures. In contrast, the NCP (SP) led by his uncle had to be content with only 10 victories, though it fielded 86 candidates.

Ajit Pawar faced a big setback in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when his cousin and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule defeated his wife Sunetra Pawar on their home turf Baramati.

On Saturday, Ajit Pawar defeated his nephew Yugendra Pawar, endorsed by 83-year-old Sharad Pawar, by a margin of over 1 lakh votes, inflicting on the veteran leader the first-ever defeat in this family bastion.

Incidentally, it was not the only family fight in the NCP factions. In another intra-family battle, Dharmarao Atram of the NCP defeated his daughter Bhagyashree of NCP (SP).

Foot soldier decimates Thackeray heir, claims Balasaheb’s throne for himself

The Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde trounced rival Shiv Sena (UBT) of Uddhav Thackeray in 36 assembly seats in Maharashtra, putting to rest the debate over which is the real party founded by late Bal Thackeray. Uddhav’s faction could win only 14 direct contests against Shinde’s nominees.

Shinde's Sena, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, won 57 of the 81 seats it contested in the state polls, the results of which were announced on Saturday.

The Sena (UBT), a partner in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), managed to bag only 20 despite fielding 95 candidates. In 14 seats, it defeated Shiv Sena candidates.

In one of his biggest political gambles, Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022 and aligned with the BJP along with his backers to become the chief minister. The move split the Sena, led to the collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA government and sparked almost daily bickering between the two factions.

Subsequently, Shinde got the party name and its ‘bow-and-arrow' symbol from the Election Commission.

Shinde had retained most of the sitting MLAs, who chose to be with him when he led the rebellion two years ago. They delivered for him on Saturday when votes for the state polls were counted.

Uddhav Thackeray's son and former state minister Aaditya Thackeray retained his Worli seat by defeating Milind Deora, who recently joined the Shiv Sena from Congress.

WITH PTI INPUTS