Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti has decided to contest the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha seat on his own without joining any alliance — ruling or Opposition. The farmer leader says he is not keen on having any pre-poll alliance partners for the 2024 polls. Shetti told The Indian Express, "I am contesting from Hatkanangle constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls alone. I am not going to have any pre-poll ties with anybody." In a candid admission, Shetti revealed, "I have from both ruling Mahayuti as well as opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for an alliance. But I have decided not to join any alliance. Instead, I will prefer contesting on my own." However, the BJP is keen on getting Shetti to its fold ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It wants to secure the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency, which is among the difficult seats. Highly placed sources in the BJP said, "Our strategy has been to negate the Opposition in every constituency. Shetti has been proactive in Western Maharashtra, raising farmers' issues. If he were to join the BJP as an alliance partner, we would field him as the Mahayuti candidate." A senior BJP functionary said, "In politics, nothing is final. As a political party, our effort to reach out to individuals constituency-wise to enhance our political prospects will continue till the day of filing nominations." In 2019, the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency was won by then-undivided Shiv Sena candidate Dhairyasheel Mane. At that time the undivided Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and the BJP were alliance partners. After the split in Shiv Sena in June 2022, Dhairyasheel Mane was among the 13 MPs who switched loyalties from Thackeray to the Shiv Sena faction led by incumbet Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The Shinde camp has also staked a claim for Hatkanangle as it has the sitting MP Dhairyasheel Mane. A BJP political strategist admits that as per the norms both the Shinde and the BJP should retain the sitting constituencies. "If challenges are coming up in certain constituencies due to multiple factors such as anti-incumbency against the sitting MP, stronger rival leaders, fears of unrest, we are forced to take course correction. And it applies to one and all, irrespective of the BJP or its allies." The BJP central leadership has set a difficult target for the state unit of winning 45 or more of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. PM Narendra Modi has already announced in Parliament that the BJP would win 370 seats nationally and the National Democratic Alliance over 400 seats. The BJP reckons it cannot afford to lose even a single seat to achieve that ambitious target. After Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats, Maharashtra has the country's second-highest number of Lok Sabha seats. What makes Hatkanangle difficult to rule? The Hatkanangle constituency, with six Assembly segments, does not have any one political party's dominance. Hatkanangle, Shahuwadi, Ichalkaranji, Shirol, Islampur, and Shirala are these Assembly segments. Every assembly segment is represented by an MLA from a different party. The candidates and party break up for the six assembly seats that constitute Lok Sabha are as follows: Shahuwadi - Vinay Kore (Jansurajya Shakti); Hatkanangle - Raju Awale (Congress); Icchalkaranji - Prakash Awade (Independent); Islampur -Jayant Patil (NCP Sharad Pawar); Shirala - Mansingh Naik (NCP Sharad Pawar). With three constituencies with the Congress and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction, the Mahayuti candidate is bound to face a difficult contest. Irrespective of whoever contests, Shive Sena (Shinde), NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) and the BJP have pledged to put all efforts and work together. Yet, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), which has a legitimate right over Hatkanangle with sitting MP Mane, will have to swing against the tide. Why does BJP seek Raju Shetti? The party believes Raju Shetti will consolidate the vote bank with his farmer support base. Secondly, Shetti's candidature gives BJP reason to stake claim over Hatkanangle Lok Sabha seat. Under Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, Shetti has launched several agitations in Western Maharashtra for higher remuneration for sugar cane farmers, dairy farmers and onion cultivators. He launched an agitation against the Centre's import duty policy on sugar cane export and onion. The policy allowing sugar mills to make payments to cane farmers in three instalments was vehemently opposed by Shetti. Shetti started his career under legendary farm leader Sharad Joshi's Shetkari Sanghatana. In 2004, following differences, he founded Swabhimani Paksha. Gradually, it evolved into Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. In 2009, Shetti contested the Hatkanangle Lok Sabha seat and beat the NCP's established leader Nivedita Mane. Ahead of 2014, he joined the NDA. He was the NDA candidate from Hatkanangle. He defeated Congress's Kallappa Awade. When the MVA government came to power in Maharashtra 2019, Shetti became part of the alliance. Gradually, he distanced his party from the MVA, saying they failed farmers. Shetti has been pursuing his politics centred on farmers' causes. The Hatkanangle Lok Sabha constituency, which was formed in 1957, was dissolved following delimitation and did not exist from 1977 to 200. It then merged with the Ichalkaranji Lok Sabha seat. However, when a new delimitation was carried out, the Lok Sabha seat was restored. In 1962, Hatkanangle was represented by Krishna More (Congress); 1967 M VRC Bhosale (PWPI); 1971 Dattatreya Kadam (Congress); 2009 Raju Shetti (SSP); 2014 Raju Shetti (SSP); 2019 Dhairyasheel Mane (Shiv Sena Shinde faction).
