NEW DELHI: The BJP-RSS has been giving sermons against the practice of “dynastic politics” since long to its political opponents but a close look at the till now released of the list of candidates of the ruling alliance ‘Mahayuti’ has a significant number of contenders who are closely related to the current ministers, legislators or MPs, including their sons or daughters, wives and brothers or sisters.
From the ruling side, the BJP, chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP have declared their lists of candidates.
Sreejaya Chavan, daughter of former chief minister and Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, is contesting from the family’s traditional constituency of Bhokar in Nanded district.
The BJP has fielded Vinod Shelar, brother of Mumbai party chief Ashish Shelar, from Malad West. Ashish has been re-nominated from Bandra West.
The BJP has replaced its sitting MLA Babanrao Pachpute from the Shrigonda Assembly constituency in Ahilyanagar district with his wife, Pratibha Pachpute, due to his health issues.
The saffron party has dropped the name of Ganpat Gaikwad, its MLA from Kalyan East in Thane district, and instead nominated his wife, Sulbha, to contest from the same constituency.
Gaikwad is in jail for opening fire on a Shiv Sena worker inside a police station a few months ago.
Former Union minister and Lok Sabha member Narayan Rane’s son, Nitesh Rane, represents the Kankavli Assembly segment. His elder brother, Nilesh, a former Lok Sabha member, has now joined the ruling Shiv Sena and is set to contest from the Kudal constituency in the family’s home district of Sindhudurg.
In the Chinchwad constituency in Pune district, the BJP has replaced sitting MLA Ashwini Jagtap, the wife of late party leader Laxman Jagtap, and given the ticket to his brother Shankar Jagtap. This is his first election.
The BJP’s allies in Maharashtra have also shown scant regard for the PM”s disdain for dynasty politics.
The Shinde-led Sena has nominated Kiran Samant, the brother of state minister Uday Samant, from the Rajapur seat in Ratnagiri district.
The family members of Shiv Sena leaders Sandipan Bhumare and Ravindra Waikar, who became members of the Lok Sabha after this year’s general elections, have also been given a chance by the party from the respective constituencies that the two former MLAs represented.
While Bhumare’s son, Vilas, will contest from the Paithan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Waikar’s wife, Manisha, will test electoral waters from the Jogeshwari East Assembly seat.
The ruling NCP already nominated Pankaj Bhujbal as the party MLC earlier this month. He is the son of senior party leader Chhagan Bhujbal, who is contesting from the Yeola Assembly segment in Nashik district.
But since Bhujbal’s nephew Sameer is keen on contesting the election, he will fight as an Independent candidate against the Sena’s incumbent MLA Suhas Kande from Nandgaon constituency in Nashik.
One wonders if Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conscience, who does not waste a single opportunity to raise an accusing finger at rival parties like the Congress for being dynastic, pricks him or fails to stir it.
Of course, the scene in the Congress-led MVA camp, which includes the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) of Sharad Pawar, is no exception.
But then perhaps they may be excused for opposing what the PM preaches?
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