Maharashtra Assembly election 2019: All dynasty candidates
or years, the BJP's main charge against the Congress has been instituionalisation of dynasty politics at the cost of merit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led that campaign against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the past five years more aggressively than ever done by any other leader. But going by the list of candidates in the Maharashtra Assembly election 2019, the BJP is not different from either the Congress or its ally the Nationalist Congress Party.
The BJP dynasts
Gopinath Munde was a celebrated BJP leader in Maharashtra. He died in a car accident in Delhi barely a week after taking oath as the No.4 minister in the first Narendra Modi government. His daughter Pankaja Munde became a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government in October 2014.
Pankaja Munde is contesting from Parli in Beed district. Another member of the Munde family, Dhananjay is an NCP leader.
Eknath Khadse, once considered a challenger to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is not contesting the Maharashtra Assembly election this year. But to keep him in good stead, the BJP has given ticket to his daughter, Rohini Khadse, from Mutainagar seat in Maharashtra Assembly election 2019. Khadse Senior had to resign from the Devendra Fadnavis government in 2016 on charges of financial irregularities.
Sunil Rane, son of former BJP minister Datta Rane, has been fielded by the party from Borivili.
The BJP has also given the ticket to family members of the leaders having had association with other parties. BJP has fielded Namita Mundada, daughter-in-law of NCP MLA late Vimaltai Mundada, from Kej assembly constituency in Maharashtra election. This is a seat reserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) members.
Another turncoat to get a ticket is Nitesh Rane, the former Congress MP and MLA. His father Narayan Rane was the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999, when he was with the Shiv Sena. He later joined the Congress and was a state minister in the Congress-NCP government till BJP won power in 2014. Nitesh Rane is contesting from Kankavali assembly seat in Maharashtra election on a BJP ticket.
From Nawapur constituency, reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, the BJP has fielded Bharat Gavit. He is the son of nine-term Congress MP from Nandurbar Manikrao Gavit. Nawapur is part of the Nandurbar Lok Sabha constituency.
Congress, the old master of dynasty politics
Ashok Chavan, the former chief minister, is the son of Shankarrao Chavan, who was a chief minister of Maharashtra himself. Ashok Chavan is the Congress candidate from Bhokar constituency and if the party comes back to power, he will be one of the contenders for the chief ministerial position once again.
Another chief ministerial aspirant from the Congress is former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. His father Dajisaheb Chavan was a Lok Sabha MP from Karad seat from 1957 to 1973 was a minister in all three cabinets of the period -- led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.
After Dajisaheb Chavan's death in 1973, his wife Premalakaki Chavan, the mother of Prithviraj, was fielded by the Congress from Karad Lok Sabha seat. She won the seat four times -- 1973 bypoll, 1977, 1984 and 1989 general elections.
Prithviraj Chavan is considered a strong Gandhi family loyalist. He is contesting from Karad South constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly election.
Family members of another former chief minister, late Vilasrao Deshmukh are Congress candidates. Two of his sons, Dheeraj Deshmukh and Amit Deshmukh are contesting as Congress candidates from Latur Rural and Latur constituencies.
Former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's daughter, Pariniti Shinde is the Congress candidate from Solapur Central constituency in Maharashtra Assembly election.
NCP, even beyond the Pawars
Pawars are directly in contention on two assembly seats in Maharashtra election. Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar is contesting from Baramati, the family stronghold and his grandson Rohit Pawar is the NCP candidate from Karjat Wankhede.
Parli assembly segment of Maharashtra is the scene of rivalry in the Munde family. Pankaja Munde has been challenged by her cousin Dhananjay Munde, who once fancied the idea of inheriting the political legacy if Gopinath Munde in Maharashtra. But the emergence of Gopinath Munde's daughter Pankaja dashed his hopes. He lost the election in 2014 yet the NCP named him the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra sending him to the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
Uncle-nephew element is in play at the Beed assembly constituency in Maharashtra. In Beed, NCP has fielded Sandeep Kshirsagar is contesting against his uncle Jaydutt Kshirsagar, who was with the NCP earlier. He switched sides to the Shiv Sena. After winning 2014 Maharashtra Assembly election, he became a minister in the Fadnavis government.
The Shriwardhan assembly constituency the theatre of another sibling rivalry in the Maharashtra Assembly election 2019. Here former state minister Sunil Tatkare's daughter Aditi Tatkare is contesting from against her cousin Avdhut Tatkare, who is the Shiv Sena candidate.
Bhujbals are also contesting from two seats as the NCP candidates. Former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal is seeking reelection from Yeola seat while his son, Pankaj Bhujbal is in the fray at Nandgaon.
Shiv Sena too takes the test
This is not exactly dynasty promotion in election, but this is the first time that Shiv Sena's first family has entered electoral politics. This is significant in the backdrop of criticism of Thackerays' that they behave like a ringmaster without entering the ring for the fight. Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray's son Aaditya Thackeray is seeking his first election from Worli assembly segment in the Maharashtra Assembly election.
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