Satara battle between trade union leader and dynast
Satara is witnessing a battle between Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shashikant Shinde, Mathadi (head loaders’) leader
Satara: Satara in western Maharashtra is witnessing a battle between Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee; and Shashikant Shinde, Mathadi (head loaders’) leader and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) candidate.
Both candidates are strong; the undivided NCP has a longstanding presence in Satara whereas Udayanraje Bhosale, the BJP nominee, is banking on his royal lineage in the polls scheduled on May 7. The seat of Satara, known for its allegiance to Sharad Pawar, has consistently remained an NCP stronghold since 1999. Udayanraje Bhosale alias Raje alias Maharaj (as he is commonly referred to in Satara and the adjoining areas) is known for his fearless behaviour.
Shashikant Shinde was former APMC director and working president of the Maharashtra Rajya Mathadi, Transport and General Kamgar Union. A staunch Sharad Pawar loyalist, Shashikant Shinde, was elected MLA four times: twice each from the Jaoli (1999, 2009) and Koregaon (2009, 2019) assembly constituencies in Satara district. He lost the 2019 assembly polls to the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) candidate Mahesh Shinde but was nominated to the legislative council by the party in 2020. Udayanraje was elected as MP from Satara in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
According to Abhishekh Jadhav, a professor at a well-known college in Satara, “Several dams in the region were built by the royal family, hence you can see ‘hariyali’ (greenery) in Satara. The royal family also helped set up the first industrial unit in the district.” Nilesh Phatagde, a 22-year-old college student, said, “I am supporting Raje because it is our duty to stand firmly behind our Raja and not just criticise him.’’
However, some people are concerned over the aggressive nature of the BJP candidate and that he is a dynast living in a palace who is not easily available to the common people.
Meanwhile, Shinde, has been facing allegations of misappropriation of floor space index (FSI) worth ₹62 crore in the Vashi market committee. He was named as an accused in a ₹7.6 crore scam in the maintenance and upkeep of 11 toilets at the APMC market earlier this month. A case was registered against Shinde and 29 other directors on April 26 by the Navi Mumbai police. The police said that in this case, spice traders favoured getting a ₹600 per square feet rate approved by the committee members as against the market rate of ₹3,066 per square feet. Shinde claimed that the cases against him were a tactic to exert pressure and that the BJP anticipated a loss in Satara. “These allegations are timed to harm my electoral chances,” Shinde stated.
He accused the BJP of employing similar strategies elsewhere, citing the recent sealing of Abhijeet Patil’s sugar factory as an example. Shinde has a firm grip on mathadi workers and various workers’ unions in Maharashtra. At least 75,000 mathadi and other workers are registered voters from Patan, Satara and Koregaon talukas in Satara district.
Keeping its eyes on the workers’ votes, the BJP inducted prominent mathadi leader Narendra Patil. Hence, equations have now changed. Patil contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a Shiv Sena ticket with the backing of the BJP, facing off against Udayanraje Bhosale, who was then with the NCP. However, in this election, Bhosale is the BJP candidate from Satara, poised to compete against Shinde. It was Patil who levelled allegations of corruption at Shinde.
Ajit Bhosale, who is handling the campaign for Shashikant Shinde, said, “When we approach people, it is observed that people are angry with the BJP for causing rifts within the NCP and Shiv Sena. There is sympathy for Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Already, Satara is our baston. Hence, we are confident about our win from the Satara seat.”
The battle for Satara looks tilted in favour of the Mahayuti (on paper) as they are holding four out of six assembly constituencies in the district — Wai (Makarand Patil - NCP), Koregaon (Mahesh Shinde - Shiv Sena), Karad North (Balasaheb Patil- NCP SP), Karad South (Prithviraj Chavan - Congress), Patan (Shambhuraj Desai - Shiv Sena), and Satara (Shivendra Raje Bhosale - BJP).
However, it is not so easy for the BJP on the ground. A Satara district BJP leader on condition of anonymity said that they can get a good lead in Satara but are concerned about Wai, Patan and Koregaon due to local politics. “Udayanraje might face difficulties in Wai, as NCP’s Nitin Patil, brother of MLA Makarand Patil from Wai, wanted to contest from Satara. Hence, we have organised Ajit Pawar’s rally in Wai on May 5. Where Ajit Pawar announced Nitin Patil will be nominated as the Rajya Sabha (RS) MP from the NCP quota in June-July. We are hoping things will be settled after Ajit Pawar’s announcement,” the Satara district BJP leader said. According to him, the BJP is also concerned about Koregaon from where Shinde lost the assembly election in 2019 by a margin of 6,000. Koregaon constituency holds a good chunk of Mathadi and other workers.
Additionally, there is political rivalry between Udayanraje and Shambhuraj Desai, MLA of the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena, which may hamper voter turnout in the Patan assembly constituency. The parliamentary constituency has more than 18.84 lakh voters including 928,310 females; 956,502 males; and 13 transgenders. This is a constituency dominated by the Maratha community followed by other backward classes (OBCs), scheduled castes (SCs), Buddhists, Muslims and others.
Water scarcity stands as one of the most pressing issues in Satara. In response to the drought conditions, section 144 was implemented in the region in April 2024. The district administration issued orders prohibiting water theft along canals and restricting transportation of cattle fodder outside the area to address the acute water shortage. Along with water, communal riots, unemployment, tourism and development are prominent election issues in Satara.
Udayanraje claimed that there is need for a strong and stable government at the Centre. “The Congress did nothing in the last 50 years. Under PM Modi’s leadership, crores of people benefitted from various central schemes. I am committed to bring funds for various developmental projects, irrigation projects, roads, industry and many more for the overall development of the Satara district,” Udayanraje said.
While Shinde criticised Udayanraje for not doing anything for Satara even after being elected as MP three times from the constituency. “Satara is known for history, culture and nature. But nothing was done on the tourism front. People are not getting water. The youths in the district are running away to metropolitan cities,” Shinde said and added that ensuring adequate water supply and setting up industries were on his priority list.
