Mumbai: With the induction of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s direct descendant Udayanraje Bhosale into its fold, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken another step to consolidate Maratha votes. The party is being credited for facilitating reservation for Marathas in jobs and education and it has already roped in several strongmen from the community, including two cousins of Mr Bhosale.
The Marathas are the single largest community in the state and their vote can prove decisive in at least 116 out of 288 constituencies. The party, which was in the past accused by its opponents of having only brahmins and baniyas, is now making serious inroads into the Maratha vote bank, which used to predominantly gravitate towards the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the past.
Political observers said that though Maratha voters are present across the state, they are the deciding factor in Marathwada and Western Maharashtra regions as the vote bank is sizeable in these areas. Marathwada has 46 seats, while Western Maharashtra accounts for 70 Assembly seats.
Mr Bhosale, the NCP’s Satara MP, joined the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil, Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution Raosa-heb Danve, RPI chief Ram-das Athawale in New Del-hi. On the occasion, Mr Shah asserted that Mr Bhosale’s presence would help the party in the upc-oming Assembly polls.
Mr Bhosale, who is the 13th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was a BJP legislator and served as a junior minister in the Shiv Sena-BJP’s first alliance government in 1998.
Mr Fadnavis said it was a matter of great joy that a descendant of the Maratha emperor had joined the saffron party. “The personality of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gives energy to everyone in the country. Good governance is sowed and nurtured as a banyan tree by Shivaji Maharaj. Udayanraje is carrying the same tradition forward to the common man,” Mr Fadnavis said.
The CM claimed that Mr Bhosale’s decision to join the BJP was influenced by the Central government’s decision to abrogate Article 370.
Mr Bhosale on Saturday tweeted, “With the blessings of Raja Shiv Chhatrapati, I have worked for the people till date and the tradition would continue. May this immense love and blessing continue to back me till the end. I have always worked for the people and will continue to do so.”
