Kolhapur assembly polls: Rebels threaten to topple established party contests

PUNE: In Kolhapur district’s 10 assembly constituencies, rebels threaten to upend established party contests between the two alliances – ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Kolhapur district is traditionally dominated by the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) however the emerging wave of rebels threatens to splinter traditional vote banks as parties grapple with fractured support.

The district is marked by the presence of powerful figures like Congress district president Satej Patil, MP Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, BJP’s Dhananjay Mahadik, and NCP’s Hasan Mushrif however the fissured landscape has triggered a closer contest than ever anticipated, raising the stakes in each constituency and leaving the outcomes unpredictable.

In Chandgarh, the rift is stark with BJP’s Shivajirao Patil running as an independent with close ties to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis against incumbent MLA Rajesh Patil from NCP (Ajit Pawar). This already fierce contest has additional competition from the likes of Dr Nandini Babhulkar from NCP (SP) and former Kolhapur District Bank vice-president Appi Patil. Congress leader Satej Patil has been unable to prevent this internal fragmentation, marking Chandgarh as a battleground to watch.

In Radhanagari, there is a dramatic twist as A Y Patil, initially seeking nomination from the MVA, filed as an independent after MVA leaders favoured his brother-in-law K P Patil. The internal strife has forced the MVA to recalibrate, creating an opening for MLA Prakash Abikar from Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) to challenge K P Patil from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray/UBT).

Kagal and Kolhapur south, too, are seeing high-profile contests. In Kagal, state minister Hasan Mushrif from NCP (Ajit Pawar) is up against Samarjeet Ghatge from NCP (SP). Ghatge who was with the BJP recently joined NCP (SP) as the seat went to Mushrif during seat sharing within the Mahayuti. In Kolhapur south, Congress MLA Rituraj Patil is running against former BJP MLA Amal Mahadik making for a tight race where every vote will count.

Rebellions have made a significant impact in other constituencies as well. In Karveer, Rahul Patil, son of late Congress MLA, P N Patil, is facing a tough fight from former Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) MLA, Chandradeep Narke even as Santaji Ghorpade from Jan Surajya Shakti has entered the fray.

Kolhapur north has Congress’s Rajesh Latkar squaring off against independent candidate Rajesh Kshirsagar who recently got Congress support, resulting in a close contest in a seat that the Congress hopes to retain.

In Ichalkaranji, BJP’s Rahul Awade is being challenged by NCP (SP)’s Madan Karande, along with NCP (Ajit Pawar)’s Vitthal Chopde, further intensifying the contest.

In Shirol, Mahayuti-backed MLA Rajendra Patil Yedravkar is running against Congress’s Ganpatrao Patil and former Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana MLA Ulhas Patil, making for a tough three-way contest.

With rebels refusing to stand down across these constituencies, Kolhapur’s assembly elections are set for a historic showdown. As parties grapple with splintered support, this could well be a turning point in Kolhapur’s political trajectory.