Despite anti-incumbency, the left democratic front (LDF) which contested more than 200 seats, could win only in eight, with Peasants and Workers' Party and Bahujan Vikas Aghadi maintaining its tally of 3 seats each, and Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh and CPI (M) winning a seat each. Samajwadi Party and Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, which were not part of LDF, also won a seat each.
CPI (M)'s Jiwa Pandu Gavit won from Kalwan in Nashik defeated sitting NCP MLA AT Pawar. He polled over 67,000 votes. Party state general secretary Ashok Dhavle told dna that CPM was winning this seat for the seventh time.
Dhavale pointed out that in Dahanu, the party had fielded Barakya Mangaat replacing Rajaram Ojhare, the sitting MLA. Here the party had lost because NCP candidate had transferred his votes to the BJP candidate, Dhavle said, adding that money power had had a huge influence and the media had generally ignored Left parties.
It's interesting to note that PWP has retained its tally of three MLAs with 88-year-old Ganpatrao Deshmukh retaining Sangola for a record 11th time. PWP also won Alibaug (Pandit Patil, younger brother of MLC Jayant Patil), and Pen (Dhairyasheel Patil). Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi won from Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar, while Rahul Kul won from Daund in Pune district on Rashtriya Samaj Party ticket. Baliram Siraskar won from Balapur in Akola on Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh ticket. Hitendra Thakur and Vilas Tare of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi won from Vasa and Boisar, respectively.
PWP has a vote share of more than one per cent, but other smaller parties of the LDF, failed to fetch more than one per cent votes. Bahujan Samaj Party, despite fetching 2.2 per cent votes, could not win any seat.
Arun Khore, veteran journalist and an authority on progressive movements in Maharashtra, said money power was an important factor in this elections. Left parties which have been working in various movements, had to make an effort to increase their mass base, he said, adding that Dalit leaders and parties were seen only during elections.
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