What’s common in Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections? All in the family

Political parties may accuse each other of nepotism in awarding tickets in elections, but the forthcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand prove yet again that political families dominate the list of candidates.

Commentator Amitabh Tewari said politics is corporatised and a handful of families control elections. “They know the system, they have the money and resources, which could run into hundreds of crores. What is the point of getting outsiders? It does not help," he said.

The BJP, which frequently makes searing attacks on dynasts, is no different. In Jharkhand, the kin of several prominent leaders, including three former chief ministers, have been given tickets to contest the assembly elections, scheduled for November 13 and 20.

Meera Munda, wife of former BJP chief minister Arjun Munda; Babulal Soren, son of former chief minister Champai Soren; Purnima Das, daughter-in-law of ex-BJP CM, Raghubar Das; Shatrughan Mahto, brother of BJP MP Dullu Mahto and Ragini Singh, wife of former MLA Sanjeev Singh, are in the poll fray.

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The BJP has also been liberal with politicians who have switched sides, including those who lost in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.

Sita Soren, the daughter-in-law of patriarch Shibhu Soren, who had joined the saffron party before the Lok Sabha elections, has got the BJP ticket to contest from Jamtara, unofficially recognized as the fishing capital of the country. Geeta Koda, wife of another former CM, Madhu Koda, is the party’s choice from the Jagannathpur assembly constituency.

Such searing nepotism has raised hackles. Sandeep Verma, BJP’s state working committee member, publicly asked the party leadership to reconsider their ticket distribution. "Why should Champai Soren and his son, both get BJP tickets," he queried, incredulously.

It compelled party observer and Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswal Sarma, to issue a denial, saying that there were no fissures in the party and that "some resentment is natural." The Assam chief minister also played down the nepotism card.

Sarma’s lame denial, however, draws resonance from the fact that the BJP is not alone. The Congress and JMM, the regional satrap, are pretty much into the game.

Chief minister Hemant Soren of the JMM, heads this August list, contesting from Barhait; his wife Kalpana Soren, MLA from Gandey constituency is recontesting, while brother Basant is the party candidate from Dumka.

Former deputy CM, Sudhir Mahto’s wife Savita will contest from the Ichagarh constituency, while ex-minister Jagannth Mahto’s wife, Baby Devi, is the party candidate from Dumri. Hafizul Hasan has been nominated as a JMM candidate from the Madhupur assembly constituency, like his late minister father, Haji Hussan Ansari.

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Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh is recontesting the Mahagama constituency, as her father-in-law Awadh Bihari Singh, a former Bihar minister, held this seat earlier. In a similar vein, Amba Prasad is a Congress candidate from Barkagaon, like her father Yogendra Sahu.

Maharashtra, if anything, is a bigger example of this trend. The first list of party candidates released so far for the 288-strong Maharashtra assembly is pretty much a family affair.

Sreejaya Chavan, the daughter of former CM and Congress turncoat Ashok Chavan who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, has been picked to contest from her traditional family constituency, Bhokar in Nanded district. Vinod Shelar, the brother of Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, is the BJP candidate from the Malad West constituency, while Ashish himself has been re-nominated from the Bandra West seat in Mumbai. The BJP has replaced sitting MLA Babanrao Pachpute from the Shrigonda assembly constituency in Ahilyanagari district with his wife, Pratibha Pachpute, because of ill health.

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That close to 100 odd political families control the fortunes of Maharashtra is evident in this list given below:

1. BJP has dropped Ganpat Gaikwad, its MLA from Kalyan East constituency in Thane district, and instead nominated his wife, Sulabha, to contest from the same constituency. Gaikwad is currently behind bars for opening fire on a Shiv Sena worker inside a police station a few months ago.

2.Former Union minister and Lok Sabha member Narayan Rane's son, Nitesh, is a sitting MLA for the Kudal assembly. His elder brother, Nilesh, a former Lok Sabha member, has joined the ruling Shiv Sena and is set to contest from the Kankavali constituency in Sindhudurg district.

3. In Pune’s Chinchwad constituency, BJP replaced sitting MLA Ashwini Jagtap, the wife of late party leader Laxman Jagtap and gave the ticket to his brother Shankar Jagtap.

4. Shinde-led Sena has nominated Kiran Samant, brother of state minister Uday Samant, from the Rajapur seat in Ratnagiri district.

5. Family members of Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MPs Sandipan Bhumare and Ravindra Waikar will be well rewarded: while Bhumare's son Vilas will contest from the Paithan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Waikar's wife Manisha will see action from Mumbai’s the Jogeshwari East assembly seat.

6. Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has renominated sitting MLA Aaditya Thackeray from the Worli seat in Mumbai, while his cousin Varun Sardesai will contest his maiden election from Bandra East. Interestingly, Aaditya has a tough fight this time: his key rival is Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP, Milind Deora, son of former Union minister, Milind Deora.

7. The Sena (UBT) also decided to give a ticket from the Vikhroli constituency to sitting MLA, Sunil Raut, brother of party Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut.

8. Although the NCP (SP) has not announced its candidates list, Rohit Patil, son of former home minister late R R Patil, filed his nomination as an NCP (SP) candidate from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency in Sangli district.

9. According to party insiders, Rohit Pawar, the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar and sitting MLA from Karjat Jamkhed assembly seat in Ahilyanagari, is most likely to be renominated from the constituency while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who has never contested an election himself, has fielded his son Amit from the Mahim seat in Mumbai.

"Politicians contest from different parties because it suits everyone. If you lose, your next of kin can win from a different party. Plus, changing sides is no longer frowned upon. It's pretty much the accepted norm," Tewari points out.