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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 9:20:26 am

Rajesh Kshirsagar walks into a political trap

The Shiv Sena MLA has chosen confrontation over the Shaktipeeth Expressway risking political isolation Kolhapur: Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh Kshirsagar’s aggressive support to the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway has brought him face-to-face with former MP Raju Shetti. But the political fallout has not stopped there. In quick succession, he has taken on Congress leader Satej Patil, questioned the position of fellow Mahayuti legislator Chandradip Narake and criticised his own party colleague, Public...

Rajesh Kshirsagar walks into a political trap

The Shiv Sena MLA has chosen confrontation over the Shaktipeeth Expressway risking political isolation Kolhapur: Shiv Sena MLA Rajesh Kshirsagar’s aggressive support to the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway has brought him face-to-face with former MP Raju Shetti. But the political fallout has not stopped there. In quick succession, he has taken on Congress leader Satej Patil, questioned the position of fellow Mahayuti legislator Chandradip Narake and criticised his own party colleague, Public Health Minister and Kolhapur Guardian Minister Prakash Abitkar. That is a lot of political fronts for one MLA to manage simultaneously. The immediate question, therefore, is not whether Kshirsagar has the courage to fight. He clearly does. The more important question is whether he has calculated the political cost of fighting everyone at once. The Shaktipeeth Expressway has become one of the most contentious political issues in Kolhapur district. Raju Shetti has turned the proposed acquisition of agricultural land into a farmers’ rights issue and has built a sustained campaign around it. His politics has always thrived on confrontation. His rise from the sugarcane farmers’ movement to the Assembly and then the Lok Sabha was built on his ability to convert farmers’ grievances into political mobilisation. Kshirsagar has now chosen to meet that politics head-on. His controversial warning against Shetti, in response to the latter’s aggressive rhetoric on land acquisition, transformed a policy disagreement into a personal political duel. Supporters of both sides have since taken the confrontation to the streets. This is precisely where political calculation becomes important. Supporting a flagship project backed by the Chief Minister can certainly send a message to the leadership in Mumbai. Kshirsagar is willing to stand by the government when the going gets difficult. But the same position can create political liabilities at home, particularly when the project affects constituencies where local MLAs are under pressure from farmers. Different Question Kshirsagar’s decision to attack Satej Patil raises a different question. Patil remains one of the most influential political figures in Kolhapur. Suggesting that he may struggle to win the next Assembly election is not routine political criticism. It is an open challenge. That challenge may energise Kshirsagar’s supporters. It may also consolidate his position among those within the ruling establishment who see Patil as a principal political adversary. But there is a danger in confusing political visibility with political strength. Every additional opponent creates another front that has to be managed during an election. And Kshirsagar has already opened several. The most politically revealing part of Kshirsagar’s criticism of Chandradip Narake and Prakash Abitkar. Narake represents a constituency through which the Shaktipeeth project passes. His opposition, therefore, has an obvious electoral logic: he has to respond to the concerns of his voters. Kshirsagar’s criticism of Narake puts him in a difficult position. He is effectively asking another ruling-party MLA to subordinate constituency politics to the government’s larger project. Then came the attack on Abitkar. To publicly accuse the party’s Kolhapur Guardian Minister of failing to strengthen the organisation amounts to washing the party’s dirty linen in public. Ministerial Ambition There is another possible explanation for Kshirsagar’s increasingly combative posture: the unresolved question of ministerial ambition. A three-time MLA would naturally expect that electoral experience and political seniority might eventually translate into a Cabinet berth. Instead, when the opportunity came, Eknath Shinde chose Prakash Abitkar and gave him an important Cabinet portfolio. Kshirsagar was left outside the ministry. His present position on the State Planning Board gives him a role, but it is not the same political currency as a Cabinet berth. It would be simplistic to suggest that every recent statement is merely an expression of that disappointment. But it would be equally naïve to ignore the possibility that political frustration has influenced his increasingly assertive posture. The Shaktipeeth issue may simply have provided the trigger. Kshirsagar should also be looking closely at the arithmetic of Kolhapur North. The constituency has a history of surprising political outcomes. Its old-city peth culture is blunt, politically conscious and capable of producing results that defy conventional calculations. The last Assembly election demonstrated this dramatically. Madhurimaraje Chhatrapati’s withdrawal as the Congress candidate left the Opposition scrambling just weeks before polling. Satej Patil then backed municipal corporator Rajesh Latkar, who entered the contest with barely 15 days to campaign. Yet Latkar secured nearly 81,000 votes. Kshirsagar won by around 23,000 votes, but the number that should concern his camp is not merely his winning margin.

New Political Fault Lines

Student unrest, NCP realignments and electoral manoeuvres are reshaping the city’s political conversation

Pune: The city’s political landscape last week was defined by two contrasting forces: the energy of student activism and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). In a city where campuses have long served as incubators of political debate and where the Pawar family’s influence remains deeply entrenched, both developments carried significance far beyond immediate headlines.


With more than one million students studying across Pune’s vast network of universities, colleges and professional institutions, the city remains one of Maharashtra’s most politically sensitive educational hubs. The student population includes a diverse mix of local youth and migrants from across the country, creating fertile ground for competing ideological currents. Organisations linked to the BJP, Congress, Left groups and newer political formations have all sought influence among this demographic.


Large Demonstration

Against this backdrop, the student agitation led by Abhijit Dipke and the group calling itself the Cockroach Janata Party has attracted considerable attention. Dipke’s recent visit to Pune, where he led a protest at Savitribai Phule Pune University, drew a large student turnout and brought the movement into the national spotlight. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) subsequently extended support to the campaign, organising rallies and meetings in the city.


The backing extended by the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction and the Congress to Dipke’s Delhi protest has brought together several anti-BJP political forces. The police action during the Delhi demonstrations is likely to continue influencing political discussions in Pune, particularly among student groups that have traditionally played an important role in shaping urban political narratives.


Yet, away from the campuses, another political drama was unfolding. The future of the two NCP factions remained a subject of intense speculation in Pune, a region where both Sharad Pawar and the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar continue to command considerable respect. The Pawars’ political legacy has been central to the district’s power structure for decades, making every movement within the party a matter of public interest.


Frenzied Speculation

Among party workers, the possibility of a reunion between the two NCP factions is still viewed with scepticism. However, speculation has grown over whether Sharad Pawar’s faction could eventually move closer to the BJP. Such a possibility has received a lukewarm response from many of Pawar’s supporters, who remain uncomfortable with any political arrangement involving the BJP.


Memories of Ajit Pawar’s political journey continue to shape these discussions. Several workers recall that he had begun reassessing his association with the BJP before his death. A minister, while speaking to RSS supporters, reportedly said that his decision to support Ajit Pawar was driven by personal affection, but that the alliance had political costs. The reduced victory margin, the absence of support from some close associates and the subsequent reassessment of political strategy strengthened his belief that the future course should be guided by the ideological traditions of Mahatma Phule, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj and Dr B.R. Ambedkar.


These conversations indicate that cadres within both NCP factions are carefully watching the evolving political equations. While formal alliances remain uncertain, ideological considerations appear to be influencing grassroots sentiment.


Meanwhile, the city’s electoral machinery is preparing for the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of voter lists. Political workers across parties have become active in the process, engaging with voters and ensuring participation. The BJP’s organisational network, in particular, appears to be highly mobilised, reflecting the party’s emphasis on booth-level preparation and voter outreach.


Beyond party politics, a troubling incident has also entered Pune’s public discourse. A real estate developer from the city’s outskirts died by suicide after leaving behind a note naming 14 political leaders whom he allegedly held responsible for his decision. Police have registered a case and begun an investigation.


Together, these developments reveal that Pune’s political contest is not merely about competing parties but increasingly about competing narratives over identity, ideology and influence in one of Maharashtra’s most politically consequential urban centres.

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