The primary mantra behind the push and pull of coalition politics is compromise for the larger battle. And this seems to have worked finally in the election-heavy state of Maharashtra. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and the Indian National Congress (INC), witnessed some heavy tensions, primarily between the SS (UBT) and the Congress, which even threatened the survival of the entire coalition itself. And what was it on? Over seat-sharing for the 2024 General Elections, and primarily, over one seat -- that of the region of Sangli in Western Maharashtra. That contention has finally ended, with the SS (UBT) getting the seat for itself.
As announced earlier today, the candidate announced by MVA who will stand from Sangli will be SS (UBT) leader and wrestler, Chandrahar Patil. He will contest against the sitting MP Sanjaykaka Patil, who has been fielded again by the BJP.
A curious question arises at this point: What makes Sangli such an important seat? The answer to that lies in the region to which Sangli belongs and what it brings to the table.
Maharashtra and the Sugar Cooperatives
The sugar production sector holds immense significance in Maharashtra, as it sustains the livelihoods of 45 per cent of the state's rural population, with a majority factories being concentrated in the Western part of the state, of which Sangli is a component. Sugarcane stands out as the primary cash crop, occupying 24 per cent of all irrigated land, as per the Agricultural Census of India 2001. Notably, the majority of sugar mills in Maharashtra operate as grower cooperatives and a defining feature of this happens to be the political influence that has been ingrained in this sector since the establishment of the state's first cooperative sugar mill in the 1950s.
Importantly, since the 1950s, these cooperatives were dominated by the Congress party, at least till 1972. And one of the most important figures to emerge from these cooperatives, and also from Sangli, was Vasantdada Patil, a known Congress strongman who served as chief minister of the state three times, between 1976 and 1985.
Congress-Shiv Sena historic ties
What is interesting to note is that Vasantdada had very friendly ties with the Shiv Sena and the Thackeray clan. The political scientist Thomas Blom Hansen points out how in Maharashtra the ties between the Congress and the Shiv Sena is as old as the formation of the latter party. He argues: "A persistent rumour regarding the formation of Shiv Sena is that both the former chief minister Vasantrao Naik, a friend of the Thackeray family, and the Congress strongman Vasantdada Patil tacitly supported the formation and growth of the Sena because of its potential for destroying the Communist hold over labour in the 1960s and 1970s."
Incidentally, the present tussle between SS (UBT) and Congress over the Sangli seat this time is also because of Vasantdada's grandson, Vishal Patil. But the bone of contention runs deeper. This time, in the cash-rich region of Western Maharashtra, as reported by India Today, most of the seats has gone to the Congress and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP, with SS (UBT) laying claims to Sangli because it wants some presence in the region.
Also, one needs to note that Sangli, as a traditional Congress bastion has always voted for the party. Congress has a record of winning this seat consistently since 1957, losing to the BJP in 2014. In 2019, it did not contest and gave the seat to its ally, Swabhimani Paksha, who fielded Vishal Patil. Patil is now in the Congress fold and, as a peace deal, has been promised a Rajya Sabha seat.
Because of such deep-rooted history, the present electoral battle for Sangli will be very exciting to watch.