Divided by ideologies, but united by dynasty politics

MAHA POLL PLAN FOR PARTIES

All parties have announced their lists of candidates for the October 21 Assembly elections, nominations have been filed and the campaigning will now gain momentum. And even though their ideologies may be poles apart, a closer look at the lists of the Shiv Sena, BJP, Congress and NCP reveal a common thread — political dynasties continue to dominate Maharashtra elections.

Interestingly, the ruling parties, Sena and BJP, which have often used the issue to attack the Opposition, have fielded several members of political families as their candidates.

The most prominent of the political scions fighting the polls is Shiv Sena’s Worli candidate Aaditya Thackeray, son of party chief Uddhav and the first member of the Thackeray family to contest any election. The party has also fielded senior leader Ramdas Kadam’s son, Yogesh, from Dapoli and Mumbai civic body’s standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav’s wife, Yamini, in Byculla.

The BJP’S candidate list, too, has included names of relatives of political bigwigs. The party has denied a ticket to senior leader Eknath Khadse, but fielded his daughter, Rohini, from Muktainagar. The party’s former state unit chief Raosaheb Danve’s son, Santosh, has been re-nominated from Bhokardan. The party has denied a ticket to sitting minister Vinod Tawde and fielded Sunil Rane in Borivli. Sunil’s father, Datta Rane, was a minister in the first Shiv SENA-BJP government in the 1990s.

EXPERTS SAID PARTIES PREFER RELATIVES OF ESTABLISHED LEADERS AS THESE CANDIDATES CAN HARNESS LOCAL SUPPORT AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO POWER THEIR CAMPAIGN