Maharashtra elections 2024: Family feuds take center stage in assembly polls

Family feuds took centre stage in these assembly polls with uncles pitted against nephews father versus daughter and even estranged spouses locking horns in the electoral battlefieldAt the heart of this family drama was the highstakes battle in Baramati the bastion of the Pawar family Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar was pitted against his nephew Yugendra Pawar a debutant backed by the Sharad Pawarled NCP SP Yugendra the son of Ajit Pawarrsquos younger brother Shrinivas was fielded to take on his seasoned uncle making this one of the most talked about contests of the electionThe Pawar family feud escalated during the campaign with Sharad Pawar personally leading the charge against his nephew Ajit Pawar The rivalry was so fierce that the Deputy CM was compelled to camp in Baramati for several days in a bid to defend his stronghold When the dust settled Ajit Pawar emerged victorious securing the seat for the eighth time with a commanding margin of 100899 votes According to the Election Commission of India Ajit Pawar garnered 181132 votes against Yugendrarsquos 80233 votesReacting to his win Ajit Pawar posted on X ldquoWe shall not waste a single moment speaking against anyone Our focus will solely be on the development of Maharashtra and the welfare of its peoplerdquo This is not the first time Baramati turned into a battleground for intrafamily politics in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls Ajit Pawarrsquos wife Sunetra Pawar was defeated by Sharad Pawarrsquos daughter Supriya Sule in the Baramati parliamentary seatSpouses sparMarathwadarsquos Kannad constituency in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar saw an intense contest between independent candidate Harshvardhan Jadhav and his estranged wife Shiv Sena Shinde candidate Sanjana who also happens to be the daughter of senior BJP leader and former Union minister Raosaheb DanveTheir marriage had been fraught with discord eventually leading to separation Harshvardhan has publicly blamed his fatherinlaw Raosaheb Danve for the breakdown of their relationship adding a personal dimension to an already highprofile political contest The Kannad assembly constituency Sanjanarsquos preferred choice had initially been allocated to Shiv Sena under the BJPShiv SenaNCP Grand Alliance arrangementDetermined to contest Raosaheb Danve reportedly held discussions with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde This resulted in Sanjana Jadhav formally joining the Shiv Sena Shinde Shinde granted her the ticket to contest from the Kannad assembly constituency setting up a highstakes triangular battle including Udaysingh Rajput from Sena UBTUltimately Sanjana Jadhav emerged victorious defeating her husband by a margin of 18201 votes She secured a total of 84492 votes against Harshvardhanrsquos 66291 Rajput was pushed to third place with 46510 votesThreeway family feudIn Gadchirolirsquos Aheri assembly constituency threetime MLA and state Food and Drug Administration minister Dharmaraobaba Atram from NCP Ajit Pawar was challenged by not only his daughter Bhagyashree AtramHalgekar from Sharad Pawarrsquos NCP faction but also his nephew Raje Amrish Atram who contested as an independent candidateThis highstakes familial contest garnered statewide attention particularly after Bhagyashree reportedly resisted Ajit Pawarrsquos personal efforts to dissuade her from challenging her fatherThe Atram family a prominent tribal dynasty in Aheri has held a significant political presence in Gadchirolirsquos east Vidarbha region for over 150 years Their political roots trace back to their role as regional royalty under British rule Since 1990 the family has consistently shaped the political landscape in Gadchiroli Over the years the familyrsquos allegiance shifted between parties with victories under the banners of Congress the Nag Vidarbha Andolan Samiti and later the NCPDharamraobaba Atramrsquos political battles have often been familial In 2014 he faced his nephew Raje Amrish who contested on a BJP ticket Although Dharamraobaba reclaimed the seat in 2019 the rivalry persistedThis time round Dharmaraobaba Atram retained his seat with a commanding margin of 18441 votes He secured 54206 votes defeating his nephew Raje Amrishrsquos tally of 37392 votes as well as daughter Bhagyashreersquos 35765 votesMeanwhile in Beed Sandeep Ravindra Kshirsagar of NCP SP emerged victorious after a closely fought battle against his cousin Yogesh Bharatbhushan Kshirsagar who represented NCP Ajit Pawar Sandeep secured 101874 votes while Yogesh managed 96550 votes Notably of the six assembly seats in Beed district the Beed constituency was the only one won by the MVA underlining its strategic importance for the oppositionHusband vs wife in KannadHarshvardhan Jadhav independent vs Sanjana Jadhav Sena ShindeCousins in BeedYogesh Kshirsagar NCP Ajit Pawar vs Sandeep Kshirsagar NCP SPFather vs daughter in AheriBhagyashree AtramHalgekar NCP SP vs Dharmaraobaba Atram NCP Ajit Pawar