Rebels and Realignments in Western Vidarbha’s Chessboard

Western Vidarbha has become a hotbed of factionalism and defections, earning a reputation as a land of motormouth leaders. With exactly a month to go for the big fight, the districts of Amravati, Buldhana, and Akola are rife with political intrigue, where former allies have become adversaries, and new alliances are changing the landscape ahead of the Assembly election.

In Amravati, the ever-volatile Bacchu Kadu has emerged as a key disruptor. Once aligned with the ruling Mahayuti, the leader of the Prahar Jan Shakti party is now spearheading a new alliance — the Parivartan Mahashakti Aghadi (in conjunction with farmer leader Raju Shetti and Maratha royal Sambhaji Chhatrapati) — aiming to upend both the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti and the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA). People are fed up with both the BJP and Congress, claimed Kadu claimed recently while declaring he would clear the air on the ‘third front’ on November 4.

Meanwhile, Rajendra Shingne, a five-term legislator from Sindhkhed Raja, has jumped ship from the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to Sharad Pawar’s camp. The seasoned politician, who was sidelined during cabinet selections by Ajit Pawar, has aligned with the MVA, much to the consternation of the Mahayuti.

As the political gears grind towards the Assembly election, the BJP remains strong in this region. But the Mahayuti is plagued with internal rifts. Rumors swirl of more defections, with even former BJP minister Ganesh Naik in talks to join Sharad Pawar’s faction, potentially bringing his son Sandeep along for the ride.

The schism between CM Shinde’s Sena and the BJP could spill over in the Assembly contest if not checked. Soon after the Lok Sabha results, two former Shiv Sena MPs, denied tickets in the general election, had categorically blamed the ruling alliance’s poor performance on the BJP.

Krupal Tumane, previously representing Ramtek, accused BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule of orchestrating his exclusion, claiming Bawankule pressured Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to replace him with Congress defector Raju Parwe, leading to the constituency’s loss. Bhavana Gawali, dropped from Yavatmal-Washim, suggested similar external pressure forced Shinde to drop her candidacy, reflecting growing tensions between the alliance partners.

Adding to the drama in this region is the unpredictable Rana factor. Navneet Rana, the former Lok Sabha MP from Amravati, had faced a stunning defeat in the Lok Sabha elections at the hands of Congress’s Balwant Wankhade. Her husband, Ravi Rana, a sitting MLA, recently announced that Navneet will step aside from the Assembly race, instead eyeing a Rajya Sabha seat with the backing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This has done little to ease tensions within the Mahayuti, as Bacchu Kadu had actively campaigned against Rana in previous elections. Rana said his wife would be campaigning wholeheartedly for the BJP’s candidate.

Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), another significant factor in this region, particularly Akola, is also navigating rough waters. Once an ally of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and a near-ally of the MVA, Ambedkar snapped ties with the opposition after seat-sharing talks collapsed, deciding to go it alone in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The move cost his party dearly in the Lok Sabha results, with its vote share drastically reduced in the constituencies it contested.