Lok Sabha polls: Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray fighting for political survival

As the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 gathers momentum Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray the leaders of two prominent regional parties in Maharashtra are fighting a battle for political survival reported news agency PTIThe polls are also an acid test for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy and NCP chief Ajit Pawar as they have cast their lots with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP by splitting their respective partiesBut the challenge is tougher for Thackeray and Sharad Pawar as they are out of power and have lost control of their parties Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party NCP respectively along with the original name and electoral symbolThe Election Commission and the Maharashtra assembly speaker have recognised the Ajit Pawarled NCP and Shindeled Sena as the real NCP and the real Shiv SenaSenior journalist and political analyst Prakash Akolkar told PTI that both the leaders need to put up an impressive performance in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 or else they risk political extinctionUddhav Thackeray needs to get at least six to seven MPs elected to keep his flock together till the assembly polls which are due later this year Akolkar said reported PTIThackeray had to contest as many Lok Sabha seats as his party contested when he was a BJP ally in 2019 and he is doing just that declaring 21 candidates so far notwithstanding the Congress staking claim to some of these seats the senior journalist noted reported PTIThe NCP Sharadchandra Pawar is contesting 10 seats as per the seatsharing formula worked out with his MVA allies Sena UBT and CongressBut Akolkar said the key seat for Pawar senior is his home turf Baramati where his daughter and threetime MP Supriya Sule is facing a challenge from Ajit Pawars wife Sunetra PawarIf Sharad Pawar loses Baramati everything is lost for him This is a battle between him and his nephew Ajit who has managed and controlled Baramati constituency for the family all these years Akolkar said reported PTIWhile Pawar 83 has never lost an election in his political career spanning more than five decades Uddhav Thackeray has never contested a direct electionWhen he became chief minister Thackeray was elected to the legislative council The Shinde faction often taunts him for not stepping out of house when he held the top post in the stateBut in the runup to the elections Thackeray has been travelling to different parts of the state and his rallies are getting good responsePawar too is on the move while also reaching out to his old rivals in Pune district where Baramati constituency is located like the Thopates of Congress to ensure his daughter has a smooth sailingWith the MVAs seatsharing talks with Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkars Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA falling through the direct contest between the MVA and Mahayuti alliance has become a triangular fight and in Akolkars opinion it would benefit the ruling alliance reported PTIAbhay Deshpande another senior journalist pointed out that the elections will also test the claim of Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray that the traditional voters and cadres of their respective parties are loyal to themThere is also unrest in BJP cadres and it will have to be seen if they work wholeheartedly for candidates of Ajit Pawarled NCP and Shindeled Shiv Sena Deshpande added reported PTISplits in political parties is not a new phenomenon But for the first time rebels have hijacked the original parties after the split and got recognition he noted reported PTIThe slogan of 400plus seats is meant to motivate BJP workers But to realise that goal the BJP will have to retain the 2019 tally of 41 seats which it won in alliance with undivided Sena in Maharashtra Due to the alignment and realignment of political equations this is going to be a challenge Deshpande said reported PTIHarshal Pradhan a former journalist and now a close associate of Uddhav Thackeray claimed these elections are really about the survival of the BJP and its leadership reported PTIThe BJP used central probe agencies to weaken and intimidate opposition parties and its modus operandi is to accuse opposition leaders of corruption and then induct them into the party fold he allegedWhen Uddhav Thackeray was in power as CM for twoandahalf years he worked to mitigate the damage caused by cyclones in Konkan and save lives during the COVID19 pandemic Pradhan said reported PTIThackerays growing political stature during this period made the BJP insecure he claimedClyde Crasto spokesperson of the NCP SP echoed the same view reported PTIThis election is a battle for survival for the BJP because they are afraid they will lose and therefore resorting to cheap tactics like breaking up parties and familiesiquest he allegedRatnakar Mahajan senior Congress leader and political commentator said Both Shinde and Ajit Pawar are past 60 To start a new innings at this age is not easy But they did this split their parties not for power but to avoid possible action by the ED Income Tax and CBI which the Union government is using to harass opposition leaders reported PTISharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray will be looking for vindication of their political stands in these elections Mahajan opined reported PTIAfter the 2019 assembly elections an unusual alliance emerged through the initiative of these leaders There was dissension within the Shiv Sena about joining hands with Pawar But the two leaders went ahead and Thackeray became the chief minister Now they are fighting to retain their hold over voters in the state he saidWith inputs from PTI