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****Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2014 Thread***


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I won't work under you: Narayan Rane to Prithviraj Chavan -

Rane, who’s taking every opportunity to castigate Chavan and the way he handled the Lok Sabha polls, left the meeting in a huff, without even having dinner with his cabinet colleagues. Read more: NCP conspired to defeat Congress candidates: Narayan Rane Rane is utterly miffed with the chief minister, particularly due to his son Nilesh’s humiliating defeat at their bastion of Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg. While he had quit the cabinet following the Congress’ decimation in the Lok Sabha polls, the CM had rejected his resignation.
Shinde bats for Chavan Former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde yesterday came out in support of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, whose leadership credentials have been questioned within Congress and by ally NCP following the party’s poor performance in Lok Sabha elections. - See more at:
See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/i-wont-work-under-you-narayan-rane-to-prithviraj-chavan/15323183#sthash.DzF56w1l.dpuf
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^ i think people are jostling to be the next head of Congress maharashtra. After the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Rane is the only mass leader the Congress has. Shinde is old. Manikrao Thakre is an administrative head. The problem with Rane is that he will always be seen as an ex Sena man. Some tough calls for the congress to make. Atleast the NCP have a command structure in place.

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Down and Out Pawar Turns Heat on Nephew

After the drubbing, the rumblings within. The after-shocks of a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections are threatening to widen the cracks within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra. Not on the best of terms with his ambitious nephew Ajit Pawar, NCP chief Sharad Pawar is now working behind the scenes to promote his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule in the party, setting the stage for a big internal showdown before the Assembly polls in September. Pawar has decided to rope in Sule along with Home Minister R R Patil and Rural Development Minister Jayant Patil to improve NCP’s image in Maharashtra. It is a move calculated to upset Ajit as both R R Patil and Jayant Patil are his staunch opponents. It will also be a test of the leadership qualities and political relevance of Sule, who escaped defeat in traditional stronghold Baramati with a narrow margin of 69,000 votes. Pawar has asked the three leaders to reach the NCP’s “good work” to the people in view of party officials complaining that charges of corruption against several ministers as well as Ajit’s foot-in-mouth tendency fetched the party a bad name. Pawar is convinced Ajit’s growing unpopularity will harm the party. He wants to spread the message that NCP was the first to demand reservation for women in the local governing bodies. He has listed Food Security Act, higher prices for farmers’ yields and social harmony as the NCP’s achievements in the last decade. Sule, who is also heading women’s organisation Rashtrawadi Yuvati Sabha (RYS), will be the party’s face in prime time debates on national TV channels. Her promotion is being looked at as a shift in generation. However, her promotion could lead to another round of feud between her and Ajit. “Saheb (Pawar) wants Supriya to be projected as the party’s leader in the state. Ajit has more grip on the party’s affairs and would not like Supriya taking over from him. It would create more rift in the party,” a senior NCP leader said. Sule dismissed the rift rumours and said she has decided to work in Delhi. “Dada (Ajit) is our leader in Maharashtra. Our work division is very clear,” she claimed.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/Down-and-Out-Pawar-Turns-Heat-on-Nephew/2014/05/25/article2243751.ece
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^ i think people are jostling to be the next head of Congress maharashtra. After the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh, Rane is the only mass leader the Congress has. Shinde is old. Manikrao Thakre is an administrative head. The problem with Rane is that he will always be seen as an ex Sena man. Some tough calls for the congress to make. Atleast the NCP have a command structure in place.
I think Shinde will still be given command. Rane is a loose canon - Sonia Gandhi & Co can't trust him IMO.
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Maharashtra assembly polls to pit Uddhav Thackeray-Raj Thackeray against each other

With both the Shiv Sena and its arch rival the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) deciding to project their respective leaders Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray as their chief ministerial candidates, the upcoming elections to the state legislative assembly promises to be highly interesting. This is for the first time that anyone from the Thackeray family will be contesting an election. The late founder of the Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray, was very clear that no one from his family would contest an election and hold official posts. That is why he himself did not occupy the chief minister's post when the Sena-BJP alliance captured power in 1995 even though it could have been his for the asking. He first appointed Manohar Joshi as the CM and later replaced him with Narayan Rane. In fact, when he visited Mantralaya for the first time after the saffron combine formed the government, Joshi got up from the CM's chair and begged of him to occupy the chair at least for a few minutes. Thackeray Sr firmly turned down the suggestion. So vehement he was about not occupying an official position. However, the Shiv Sena has undergone a change in the post-Balasaheb era and now the party is clear that the CM's post indeed will be occupied by Uddhav. "Both Joshi and Rane had revolted against Uddhav's leadership. While Rane crossed over to the Congress, Joshi made his resentment public before the recent elections. We have become wise after these developments and this time around, we do not wish to take any risk by backing anyone from outside the Thackeray household. Hence Uddhav will be projected for the chief minister's post. There is nothing wrong in that. We are sure that Balasaheb himself would have approved it, had he been alive," a Sena legislator told dna recently. As for the MNS, the party does not have an organisational machinery on par with the Shiv Sena and is entirely dependent on the personality of Raj. Even though the MNS received a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls, many of its cadres are of the opinion that it will do well in the assembly polls. The party is hoping that the BJP will ditch the Shiv Sena before the assembly polls and join hands with the MNS. Sources in the MNS said the BJP is not going to let its ally, the Shiv Sena, play the big brother in the assembly polls and is going to demand a lion's share of seats. "The BJP will use the Modi factor and demand more seats from the Shiv Sena, which the latter will not give them. In such a scenario, it will not be surprising if the BJP opts out of its alliance with the Shiv Sena. Such a decision will not have any impact on the Modi government since the BJP has a comfortable majority of its own in the Lok Sabha. In fact, this is the right time for the BJP to assert itself, especially when Balasaheb is no more and the party is well entrenched now," an MNS source reasoned. But, the Shiv Sena feels that the MNS is daydreaming if it thinks that the BJP will split with it. Senior BJP leaders like Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh are strongly committed to their party's oldest ally, the Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, the Congress-NCP combine is unsure as to whom to project as its CM candidate. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan's position is rather weak following the massive defeat suffered by the Congress. Dissident leaders like Narayan Rane are vehemently opposed to him. In the NCP, Ajit Pawar, appears to be its candidate. But, then a good deal will depend on the seat-sharing agreement which the two parties may arrive at. In fact, these two parties may play it safe by not projecting anyone as CM candidate.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-maharashtra-assembly-polls-to-pit-uddhav-thackeray-raj-thackeray-against-each-other-1991083
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I think Shinde will still be given command. Rane is a loose canon - Sonia Gandhi & Co can't trust him IMO.
Shinde is an old man now. He could barely campaign in Solapur as it is The party might wait for the outcome from Ashok Chavan. But there is the downside adarsh will come right up
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Shinde is an old man now. He could barely campaign in Solapur as it is The party might wait for the outcome from Ashok Chavan. But there is the downside adarsh will come right up
Chavan is as good as gone. He will certainly be barred by EC very soon.
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Chavan is as good as gone. He will certainly be barred by EC very soon.
:hysterical: Oh man would be so funny if the congress end up losing 1 of the two seats won in maharashtra on re election.
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:hysterical: Oh man would be so funny if the congress end up losing 1 of the two seats won in maharashtra on re election.
Yeah, it certainly will be funny..............though Congress may not find it so funny :giggle: EC to frame charges against Ashok Chavan next week http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/ec-to-frame-charges-against-ashok-chavan-next-week/
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Yeah, it certainly will be funny..............though Congress may not find it so funny :giggle: EC to frame charges against Ashok Chavan next week http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/ec-to-frame-charges-against-ashok-chavan-next-week/
:hysterical: this guy is cursed LOL. In the scheme of things Adarsh was not that big a scam. Gets caught and loses his CM seat. Then wins lok sabha by big margin only to be barred :cantstop:
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:hysterical: this guy is cursed LOL. In the scheme of things Adarsh was not that big a scam. Gets caught and loses his CM seat. Then wins lok sabha by big margin only to be barred :cantstop:
Honestly speaking he never was a good leader and could never control the errant ministers. Even Shinde looked better than him to me.
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Tension Between BJP, Shiv Sena Over Who Will Be Maharashtra Chief Minister

Mumbai: While the BJP and Shiv Sena have found themselves taking contradictory positions over the invite to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, another issue could cause tension between the two allies - the choice of the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Maharashtra elections. With Shiv Sena workers putting up posters in Mumbai which say "Dilli mein Modi sarkar, Mumbai mein Uddhav sarkar", many wondered if this was a signal that a Thackeray would take up an official post for the first time. "We are trying to have a legitimate goal. And if we dream of our leader becoming Chief Minister, it is not wrong. And Maharashtra wants what we want. Maharashtra would be happy if the new CM would be Uddhav Thackeray. And naturally we wouldn't have total support from all the parties and we are sure we are in the process this will happen," senior Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai told NDTV. This could upset the BJP's plans of projecting senior OBC leader Gopinath Munde as the chief ministerial candidate which is why he may not get a cabinet berth at the Centre. The BJP has already announced that Mr Munde will lead the party in the state elections. The Sena is, however, insisting on the formula where it remains the senior partner in state polls while the BJP is the senior partner in Lok Sabha election. The BJP-Shiv Sena combine won 42 out of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats, decimating the Congress-NCP alliance which could only win six seats. In 2009, the Congress-NCP alliance had cornered 25 seats. The Congress, which had won 17 seats in the state five years ago, took a severe knock, and saw its tally dip to a mere two. Its ally, NCP, fared only marginally better, winning four seats in the state.
http://www.ndtv.com/elections/article/election-2014/tension-between-bjp-shiv-sena-over-who-will-be-maharashtra-chief-minister-530549
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hmm this needs to be sorted out. I think the former formula was sena more in assembly and BJP more in lok sabha. It not just these two parties. They need to make way and give 30 odd seats to a combo of RPI SSS and Mankar. I feel it should be 148 sena 110 BJP and RPI 20 SSS 10 and Mankar 5 While the BJP and sena did ride the namo wave the shiv sena have more cadre and established infra in the state. OF the 110 seats say the BJP contest most of them are in mainland maha. The shiv sena is taking more risks contesting in the highly competitive mumbai region.

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Mahayuti is not exactly sitting pretty

The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra, which had set up a grand alliance, the Mahayuti, with the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India and other smaller parties, is euphoric over its performance in the just-concluded general elections held for the 16th Lok Sabha. This does not mean it will be a cakewalk for the alliance in the assembly elections scheduled for the latter half of 2014 in Maharashtra, as its success mostly rode on the back of the Modi wave that swept the country. However, it cannot be expected that the wave will last until the assembly elections. There are going to be many hurdles that the saffron front must cross before it expects to seize power from the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance, which ruled the state for the last fifteen years. The state Congress, as well as the Sharad Pawar-led NCP are already in analysis mode, to find out what went wrong during the Lok Sabha elections and make amends before they face the assembly elections. The anti-incumbency sentiment is going to be the main stumbling block the Congress-NCP must grapple with, if they are serious about retaining power in the state. The BJP has performed well as compared to the Shiv Sena and with the BJP led government in saddle in Delhi which has got absolute majority, the relationship between the Shiv Sena and the BJP have undergone major shift. The tension between these two oldest political allies in the country is palpable as the Sena is upset over the kind of representation it got in the Modi government. The party got only one cabinet berth as Anant Geete took oath as minister for heavy industries and public enterprises. However, the Sena is in no position to put pressure, like it did in the days of Balasaheb Thackeray, leading the party during the NDA’s first government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee, which was dependent on support from its partners. The BJP has more than 272 MPs in the Parliament and the Modi government is not dependent for its survival on its NDA partners like the Sena, which puts severe restraints on the demands that its allies could make. Circles within the Sena as well as the state BJP apprehend that if this tension over representation is played out in full force, then it will vitiate the atmosphere and hurt the Mahayuti’s chances of seizing power from the Congress-NCP. The BJP is already in firefighting mode and has assured the Sena that its demand for more representation would be considered at the time of cabinet expansion. In 1999, the Sena, which had 15 MPs, had three ministers, and senior Sena leader Manohar Joshi was the Lok Sabha speaker. With 18 MPs, the Sena wants better representation, in view of the coming assembly elections. The Sena leaders do not want to suffer at the hands of the BJP which may act like Big Brother. The BJP must also make allowances for Ramdas Athawale’s aspirations, as he has not been inducted into Modi’s cabinet. Raju Shetty of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, the Rashtriya Samaj Party leader Mahadev Jankar also need to be accommodated, which will be quite a challenge too. The Sena-BJP has declared that it will face the coming assembly elections as Mahayuti. The BJP has already begun preparations for the coming assembly elections. Now that two senior leaders – former deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde and former BJP president Nitin Gadkari have been included in the Modi overnment as senior cabinet ministers, the ground is open for younger generation leaders from the state. The state unit, leader Devendra Fadnavis, and the state legislative council opposition leader, Vinod Tawde, are Generation Next leaders and will be playing very significant roles in the coming elections. Others who find berths in the Modi cabinet include Piyush Goel, Prakash Jawadekar and Raosaheb Danve from Jalna in the Marathwada region. Like the Modi government, the UPA II also had six ministers from the state, since Maharashtra is an important state for the Congress gameplan. Extra care will have to be taken to ensure that the mercurial Ramdas Athawale remains within the Mahayuti and does not walk away due to shabby treatment. The Sena will also have to worry about the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) during the coming assembly elections. There was confusion during the Lok Sabha elections and many MNS candidates could not retain their deposits. But again, the situation may not be the same in the assembly elections. The MNS, which had set up candidates against the Sena, failed to make an impact, as Lok Sabha constituencies are huge and it is difficult to divide votes, but in smaller assembly segments, the MNS candidates can divide votes more effectively. Raj Thackeray’s next move and his party’s position on the coming assembly elections are eagerly awaited by other parties in the state. The Congress-NCP also have another 100 days to rule and declare more schemes and take some politically vital decisions before the code of conduct comes into effect for the assembly elections. The long-pending demand by the Maratha community for OBC status and job reservations for Muslims could be considered on an urgent basis, as suggested by Pawar. The ruling alliance is not going to give up so easily and will give the Mahayuti a run for its money. However, the saffron front clearly holds the advantage.
http://freepressjournal.in/mahayuti-is-not-exactly-sitting-pretty/
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Munde will lead campaign for Maharashtra assembly election: BJP

MUMBAI: Gopinath Munde will lead the BJP campaign in the assembly election, said leader of the opposition in the legislative council Vinod Tawde on Thursday. Munde is a senior BJP leader and Union minister for rural development. "We expect to secure 200 seats," Tawde said. "While the CM will be from the Mahayuti, so far no decision has been taken on the CM candidate." Tawde said the success of the Mahayuti in the Lok Sabha election would be repeated in the assembly polls. "There is absolutely no doubt we will repeat the performance of the Lok Sabha polls," he said. "According to the original formula, CM will be from that party of the Mahayuti which secures maximum number of seats." Tawde's statement clears the confusion over who would lead the BJP in the assembly election. Though there were reports initially that former BJP president Nitin Gadkari was keen to do so, the party leadership agreed to entrust Munde with the task. Munde, too, has made known his ambition to be CM. Tawde said he had submitted a memorandum to PM Narendra Modi on crucial issues. "We feel the Ambedkar memorial row should be resolved in a time-bound manner," he said. He said a decade ago the Congress-NCP had assured the people a memorial would be constructed on the Indu mill premises but made little progress. He said he had also brought to Modi's notice the need to take up the Navi Mumbai airport project, the Oval Maidan-Churchgate-Virar elevated rail project, the CST-Panvel high speed rail corridor and the Airoli-Kalwa Trans-Harbour Link project on top priority.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Munde-will-lead-campaign-for-Maharashtra-assembly-election-BJP/articleshow/35739767.cms
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As predicted Munde will return to maharashtra to be industries or revenue minister if the Alliance wins. Looks like bad news for tier 2 bjp leaders such as Twade Phadnis and Khadse Munde could become CM. Its not ruled out. But that depends on the seat sharing formula. Uddhav and Munde are very close friends.

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Sena will not concede the CM position to BJP. But, considering that this will be a true 3 party election with MNS and SS-BJP occupying the same political spectrum, Cong-NCP might benefit and might surprise many with much better results than expected.

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