Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 18 June 2018 | Page 15
BY POLLS
A SINGULAR YET LESSER WIN
The BJP’s only hit among all misses in recent Lok Sabha bypolls came via an ex-Congress leader
by Prachi Pinglay-Plumber
in Mumbai
T
HE outcome of the Palghar Lok
Sabha bypoll in Maharashtra is
a classic case of how no one
wins and everybody loses. Def
ections of senior leaders from
the BJP to the Shiv Sena and
the Congress to the BJP make it hard
to tell if people supported the candi-
date or the party. With former Con-
gress leader Rajendra Gavit as their
candidate, the BJP emerged the win-
ner—its only victory in the recent par-
liamentary bypolls. The BJP lost
Bhandara-Gondia—the seat Nana Pat-
ole had vacated when he quit the BJP
over farmers’ agitations—to the NCP.
POWER-SHIFT Rajendra Gavit had joined the BJP just before the bypolls he won
The Palghar seat had been held by the
BJP’s Chintaman Vanaga, who died this ballot seriously, like it is the world over. Prithviraj Chavan. “They are now below
January. His son Shrinivas joined the EVMs are suspect,” says senior leader the halfway mark in the Lok Sabha and
Shiv Sena ahead of the bypolls saying Neelam Gorhe. BJP leaders, however, won’t stop at anything over the coming
the BJP did not treat the family well. are convinced of a clear mandate for the months, using even their money power.
This bypoll marked the first major con party and for development. “The cam The other parties will have to come tog
test the BJP’s coalition partner in the paign focused on the development work ether to ensure a win like in Karnataka.”
Gavit, however, remained unavailable
state faced after it announced its deci initiated and completed by the CM. This
sion to go solo in the future. “We only victory is a result of that,” says senior for comment on his shift to BJP and his
supported a family that has worked for leader Madhav Bhandari. “When lead plans for the constituency. Palghar,
years in this region,” Sena chief Uddhav ers join the BJP from other parties, it though close to Mumbai, has a vast
Thackeray said in a television interview. means they are agreeing to our ideology. Adivasi population living in areas such
“The BJP had plans to field another can Our party is not changing. Those com as Jawhar, Mokhada and Vada. It also
didate…the CM himself said he was in plaining about EVMs and other things has the farthest suburb of Vasai-Virar
are doing so only because they lost. with a highly dense population of mig
talks with Gavit.”
To take on Vanaga’s son, the BJP went People also saw Vanaga’s leaving the BJP rant workers, fishermen and other local
all out, getting all the big names like as a betrayal and hence stuck to the communities. While some areas suffer
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis party.” And yet the BJP’s votes dipped acute water shortage and malnutrition,
and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath considerably—from 5,33,201 in 2014, elsewhere infrastructure development
to campaign for Gavit. An audio clip of when the Sena had not contested sepa has failed to keep pace with the number
of people pouring in, largely because of
Fadnavis allegedly asking party workers rately, to 2,72,782 in this bypoll.
Gavit’s former party, the Congress, the suburban railway.
to get votes using “saam, daan, danda,
None of this, however, really figured in
bhed”— an allusion to using all means came fifth—after the BJP, the Sena, the
necessary—became a bone of content BVA and the CPI(M)—with the candi the high-pitch campaign. “No one took
date forfeiting the deposit. up any of those issues,” says social act
ion, with the Congress
With Gavit, who is given ivist Vivek Pandit, a former MLA. “If the
officially complaining to
credit for the formation of Sena and the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi
the Election Commission
The BJP’s
the separate district of (BVA) had come together, or with any
about it, besides alleged
votes dipped
Palghar, joining the BJP at other combination of two, they would
distribution of money.
the last mom
ent, the have defeated the BJP. But it became a
Sena leaders claim the t