Several factors played on NCP president Sharad Pawar’s mind to dislodge the sitting MPs at Satara and Kolhapur.
Several factors played on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar’s mind to dislodge the sitting MPs at Satara and Kolhapur and give preference to the scions of the erstwhile royal family for the Lok Sabha elections, if sources close to the family are to be believed.
While 13th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and former minister Udayanraje Bhosale is the party nominee for the Satara constituency, in Kolhapur, 38-year-old Sambhajiraje Chhatrapti, a management graduate and descendant of Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj will be fighting the polls on a NCP ticket.
“It is to appease the hardcore Maratha organisations that Pawar has taken a ‘calculated risk’ to field the Rajes,” said a source close to the royal family.
For Maratha organisations like Sambhaji Brigade, Maratha Mahasangh and Jijau Brigade, Udayanraje has always been a frontrunner in the agitations, particularly, over the defamation of Shivaji Maharaj in the James Laine case. Sambhajiraje’s popularity amongst the Marathas also increased after he successfully installed the statue of Shivaji Maharaj on Raigad fort last year.
“These organisations had lobbied hard for both Udayanraje and Sambhajiraje,” said a political observer of western Maharashtra.
He explained that with the Rajes almost certain to win, the Maratha organisations will have two voices in parliament to press for their demand of granting reservation to the community.
It is also believed that by giving a ticket to the otherwise politically naïve Sambhajiraje, Pawar may have his eyes set on spreading the party’s influence elsewhere.
“The royal family is well connected with different erstwhile princely states and royal families in different states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka,” said a source close to royal family at Kolhapur. He explained that Sambhajiraje, who is known for his polite and courteous nature, shares an excellent rapport with the royal families in these states.
Sambhajiraje has close relations with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.
“Sambhajiraje, being descendant of Shahu Maharaj, had charmed both Sonia and Rahul during the installation of Shahu’s statue in Parliament recently,” the source said. Besides Sonia and Rahul, Congress leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ambika Soni had spoken highly about Sambhajiraje, the source added.
On the other hand, Udayanraje issued veiled threats to Pawar and the Congress for delaying the naming of his candidature, and had even warned that he may contest as an independent candidate.
Sambhajiraje, when contacted, said his royal background made his entry into politics easy.
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