Mumbai:

‘Vote jihad’ and fake narratives will not work in the upcoming Maharashtra election and the Mahayuti alliance will return to power after the November 20 polls, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today.

Mr Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister, spoke at NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event which saw the biggest newsmakers in Maharashtra politics share their insights on the upcoming election.

“Vote jihad was the real (factor) in Lok Sabha election. People from a particular community voted against the BJP. The aim was to remove Modi. It will not work this time,” Mr Fadnavis said.

The BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance won just 17 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) put up a stellar show.

In a separate interaction with NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia, Mr Fadnavis said the Maharashtra voter does not give fragmented verdicts. “During the Lok Sabha election, Maha Vikas Aghadi created a fake narrative. We have countered it with a straight narrative. Now people know they lied. They said (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji would come and change the Constitution and end reservation. So, people voted for Rahul Gandhi and MVA. And Rahul Gandhi went abroad and said the need for reservation is declining and they will end it. Their lies have died and our truth is out. So we will be elected,” he said.

The BJP leader was referring to Mr Gandhi’s remark during his recent visit to the US during which he said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place.” The remark sparked a massive row back home, with the BJP slamming the Congress leader and saying it would not allow reservations to be scrapped.

On the Dalit vote factor in Maharashtra polls, Mr Fadnavis said, “Dalit voter is important. But, in a large state like Maharashtra, no single community can decide the election. The Dalit voter had gone away from us due to fake narratives in the Lok Sabha election, but they have returned.”

A ‘Roko’ Barb At Rivals

Taking a swipe at Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, Mr Fadnavis said they were just interested in roko — meaning stop. “If there is discussion on development, I bet our rivals won’t be able to participate. Because they always worked to stop (projects) — bullet train roko, Metro roko, Mahamarg, Atal Setu roko, airport roko. Our work is thoko – finish work and progress,” he said.

Mr Fadnavis also criticised a section of the media, saying that they are more interested in focusing on political leaders’ barbs against each other instead of development initiatives.

On the Eknath Shinde government’s development agenda, Mr Fadnavis said a river-linking project aimed at making Maharashtra drought-free is in the works. “We will have Vadhavan Port in the next few years. It will put India on the global maritime map. It will not only help Maharashtra in its economic growth but also become a growth engine for India.”

Sanjay Raut’s ‘Vote Jihad’ Swipe

Earlier in the day, Mr Raut responded to the BJP’s Vote Jihad offensive. “Fadnavis should explain what is vote jihad. Wasn’t it a vote jihad when Muslim votes went to Modi in 2019? When you get Muslim votes, it is not vote jihad and when the same votes come to the Congress or us, it is vote jihad?” Mr Raut said at the NDTV event.

The term ‘vote jihad’ became a talking point during the Lok Sabha polls when Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam asked Muslim voters to wage “vote jihad” against the BJP.

Prime Minister Modi had targeted the INDIA Opposition bloc over the remark and said, “Terrorists in Pakistan are threatening jihad against India. And here, those in Congress have also announced vote jihad against Modi, which means people of a particular religion are being asked to vote unitedly against Modi. Imagine what level the Congress has stooped to. Do you agree with Vote Jihad? In a democracy, can it be done? Does our constitution allow this kind of Jihad?” he had said.

Targeting the Mahayuti alliance, Mr Raut said, “These people have mortgaged the pride of Maharashtra in Delhi. These people have disrespected the Marathi manoos.”

Mumbai:

They are arch-rivals in Maharashtra’s political arena, taking swipes and unleashing barbs at each other as the state gears up for the November 20 Assembly election. But in a rare moment of political bonhomie, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shook hands and exchanged laughs at the NDTV Marathi’s Jahirnama event today. The two leaders also posed for a photograph, and Mr Fadnavis quipped, “(This is) the photo of the year.”

The 288 Assembly segments of the Maharashtra will vote on November 20. The votes will be counted on November 23.

Maharashtra’s political landscape has completely changed between the 2019 state polls and the upcoming election. In 2019, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance scored a thumping victory. The alliance fell through due to a disagreement over rotational chief ministership. Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray then tied up with Sharad Pawar’s NCP and the Congress to form the government. This government was toppled two years later due to a mutiny led by Sena leader Eknath Shinde, who then became Chief Minister with BJP’s support. The Sena split and the NCP followed. Currently, the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP are part of the ruling coalition. They are up against the alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

The BJP-Sena-NCP alliance suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, winning just 17 of the 48 seats in the politically significant state. The Maha Vikas Aghadi, on the other hand, put up a stellar show by winning 30 seats.

In this election, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP combine is looking to recover from the Lok Sabha polls setback, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Sena (UBT), NCP and the Congress is going all-out to wrest power and script a comeback story.

Mumbai:

A blockbuster political battle brews in Mumbai – Bollywood’s beating heart – with Aaditya Thackeray, the popular son of Shiv Sena boss Uddhav Thackeray, set to fight charismatic ex Congress MP Milind Deora, who jumped from that party to Eknath Shinde’s breakaway Sena faction in January.

Sources Friday morning said the Shinde Sena had confirmed Mr Deora’s candidature, a day after Mr Thackeray’s party said he would defend his seat.

The two will also face-off against Sandeep Deshpande of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena of Raj Thackeray, who is Uddhav Thackeray’s cousin.

Thackeray junior holds the Worli seat – a Shiv Sena stronghold – that will vote, with the state’s 287 other Assembly constituencies, on November 20.

Except Worli isn’t just a Sena stronghold.

Sena vs Sena In Worli

The posh neighbourhood is in the Mumbai (South) Lok Sabha constituency that is widely seen as the backyard of the Deora family; Murli Deora won this seat four times, including a hat-trick of wins from 1984 to 1991, and his son, Milind Deora, claimed two consecutive wins – in 2004 and 2009.

Yes, since then the Sena has held Mumbai (South).

Arvind Sawant claimed a hat-trick of wins in the April-June federal election. The third was with the Thackeray Sena – as that party, the Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP dominated the Lok Sabha poll in the state – suggesting Aaditya Thackeray has the edge, but nothing is ever certain in politics.

Back in March the Shinde Sena gave its new recruit, Milind Deora, the responsibility of leading its Lok Sabha election charge in the Mumbai (South) constituency.

There was speculation then Mr Deora would be nominated to contest the seat – which seemed the obvious thing to do – but that fizzled out after the party appointed him to the Rajya Sabha.

Mr Deora would, therefore, only oversee the Shinde Sena’s Lok Sabha campaign. And he did a credible job; Arvind Sawant’s winning margin dropped from 1.28 lakh votes in 2019 to just about one lakh.

But the margin of Aaditya Thackeray’s win in the 2019 state election – he had a 65 per cent vote share advantage – underlines the magnitude of the task for the Shinde Sena and Milind Deora.

What will provide a boost is that in the Lok Sabha election Worli voters gave Mr Sawant a very narrow win – he finished less than 7,000 votes ahead of the Shinde Sena’s Yamini Jadhav.

A Third Challenger?

Raj Thackeray could be the dark horse in this election. His MNS opted not to field a candidate from Worli in 2019 to respect Aaditya Thackeray’s electoral debut.

READ | For Aaditya Thackeray, Worli Challenge Likely From Uncle’s Party

But all bets are off now, especially since the reduced margin in the Lok Sabha polls signals an opportunity to gain ground. “In 2017 (in municipal polls), we bagged around 30,000 to 33,000 votes from Worli. We have voters dedicated to MNS here…” Mr Deshpande told news agency PTI.

Aaditya Thackeray, though, is unfazed.

“The People Know…”

The junior Thackeray led a massive rally Thursday as he filed his papers, and told NDTV, “… the people have realised the BJP is a party of hollow promises (and) will stand against Eknath Shinde…”

READ | “People Know BJP, Shinde Looted State”: Aaditya Thackeray To NDTV

Asked about the battle for Worli, he said, “You can see the response of the people. That is their love… The common man and woman on the streets are giving me their blessings.”

What Is Worli Like?

Home to some of India’s wealthiest men and women, the Worli skyline is marked by high-rises and thriving business hubs. But it also contains dilapidated chawls awaiting redevelopment.

Many slum rehabilitation projects have been stalled, and some redeveloped buildings have not provided promised monthly rentals to residents.

The Maharashtra election – one of the two final state polls this year, the other being in Jharkhand – will take place in a single phase on November 20, with results for both states due three days later.

READ | Congress, Uddhav Sena, Sharad Pawar’s Party To Fight 85 Seats Each

The 2019 election was won by the BJP-Sena alliance but that fell apart, spectacularly, after the two failed to agree a power-share deal. Uddhav Thackeray then led the Sena into an alliance with the Congress and the NCP (unlikely partners both) and that angered some of his party leaders.

Two years later Eknath Shinde led a rebellion and overthrew the ruling alliance. He was made the Chief Minister and, in July last year, Ajit Pawar staged a similar revolt within the NCP.

The BJP is allied with the rebel Sena and NCP factions.

With input from agencies

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