Sujay Vikhe-Patil fails to get ticket from Sangamner amid rivalry between Vikhe-Patils and Thorats

Sujay Vikhe-Patil, son of cabinet minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, has been denied a ticket to contest from the Sangamner constituency in the upcoming assembly polls with alliance partner, Shiv Sena, choosing to field its own candidate. Notwithstanding, the decades’ old feud between the Vikhe-Patil and Thorat families now spanning three generations, has continued.

On Monday evening, Shiv Sena announced the nomination of Amol Khatal from the Mahayuti alliance. Khatal, originally a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporter with allegiance to Vikhe-Patil, recently joined Shiv Sena and secured the ticket. Sangamner has long been a Congress stronghold, represented by senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat for the past seven terms. After his defeat in the Lok Sabha (LS) elections, Sujay Vikhe-Patil had been eager to challenge Balasaheb Thorat in the Sangamner constituency.

Recently, the rift between the two families further widened when BJP worker Vasant Deshmukh made a derogatory comment about Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat’s daughter, Jayashree Thorat, at a rally organised by Sujay Vikhe-Patil in Dhandarphal, Ahmednagar. The incident led to police cases and arrests of workers from both parties.

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said, “I have been working for the overall development of the constituency. When I was state agricultural minister, I announced financial aid for farmers. During my tenure as revenue minister, I started many pending projects across the state. The district knows how the earlier revenue minister was busy collecting revenue.” Balasaheb Thorat was the revenue minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. He is a senior Congress leader and his followers are presenting him as the next chief minister of Maharashtra. Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said, “First, he (Balasaheb Thorat) needs to be elected as an MLA and then we will see. People are frustrated with their (MVA) terrorism in Sangamner and hence, voters will teach them a lesson.”

Babasaheb Thorat said, “In the last 60 years, they did not bring any big project to our district. They have been changing their philosophy as their party changes. They only want to remain in power. They were creating hurdles in various developmental works in the district.’’ Thorat claimed that he brought the Nilwande dam water to the district but that they ordered a lathi charge on the workers of the Nilwande Water Distribution Committee. People will compare developmental works in Sangamner and Shirdi tehsil and will vote accordingly,” he said.

This political rivalry dates back to freedom fighters Bhausaheb Thorat and Babasaheb Vikhe-Patil, who, though contemporaries during India’s independence struggle, were rivals. Their legacy was carried forward by Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Balasaheb Thorat, with both vying for influence in Ahmednagar. Known to support different factions within the Congress, the Vikhe-Patil family aligned with Shankarrao Chavan, while the Thorats aligned with Vasantdada Chavan.

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil entered politics in 1995, initially representing the Shirdi constituency and shifting between Shiv Sena, Congress, and eventually the BJP in 2019. Balasaheb Thorat entered the political arena in 1985. Both Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and Balasaheb Thorat built their political bases through influence over sugar factories and educational institutions in Ahmednagar district.

In 2014, Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil was appointed leader of the opposition but joined the BJP in 2019 due to internal disagreement over a ticket for Sujay Vikhe-Patil. Meanwhile, Thorat’s stature rose within the Congress, where he is now seen as close to Rahul Gandhi, evidenced by Gandhi’s 2019 visit to Sangamner during the campaign.

It was widely speculated that Balasaheb Thorat played a role in Sujay Vikhe-Patil’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, supporting NCP candidate Nilesh Lanke as part of the MVA alliance. This setback spurred the Vikhe-Patil family to seek a BJP ticket for Sujay Vikhe-Patil in Sangamner, hoping to unseat Balasaheb Thorat in his stronghold. Consequently, Sujay Vikhe-Patil organised rallies and held public meetings with local leaders to galvanise support.

Now, the third-generation of the families has stepped into the rivalry. Sujay Vikhe-Patil has made strides within the BJP, while Balasaheb Thorat’s daughter, Bhagyashree Thorat, is also preparing for her own political future. Though Sujay Vikhe-Patil did not receive the Sangamner ticket, Vikhe-Patil supporter Amol Khatal will contest as a Mahayuti candidate, backed by the Vikhe-Patil family.

Sources close to the Vikhe-Patil camp confirmed their commitment to supporting the Mahayuti candidate, emphasising that without the Vikhe-Patils, Mahayuti’s success in Ahmednagar is uncertain. This enduring rivalry between the Vikhe-Patil and Thorat families is expected to intensify as both sides mobilise support in Ahmednagar’s electoral landscape.