4 min readPuneOct 30, 2024 09:36 PM IST
First published on: Oct 30, 2024 at 02:02 PM IST
Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Dhangar community is experiencing internal divisions without a central leadership or a unified agenda. Many leaders who previously worked to consolidate the community during the 2014 and 2019 elections are now gravitating toward different political parties. As a result, the community views this election as primarily focused on local issues rather than on topics like the inclusion of the Dhangar community in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category or securing guaranteed pastoral rights.
On Monday, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar filed his nomination for re-election from the Kartaj Jamkhed constituency in Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar). He was accompanied by Shrimant Bhushanraje Holkar, a descendant of the Holkar dynasty of Indore. The symbolism of this event was significant, as the Dhangar community has a substantial presence in the constituency. Pawar is up against the BJP’s Ram Shinde, who also belongs to the Dhangar community.
Gopichand Padalkar, a dynamic leader from the community, is contesting from the Jat constituency in Sangli district on a BJP ticket.
Mahadev Jankar, another senior leader, was fielded by the BJP from the Parbhani seat during the Lok Sabha elections but lost to Sanjay Jadhav of Shiv Sena (UBT) by more than 1,00,000 votes.
According to Sourabh Hatkar, a PhD scholar at the University of Edinburgh and founder of the Mendpal Putra Army (Sons of Shepherds Army—an organisation representing the Dhangar community), the scene was much different in 2014 and 2019.
“Back then, the community was united in its demand for inclusion within the Scheduled Tribes (ST) community. Leaders like Jankar and Padalkar took the initiative, with Jankar serving as the leader in 2014 and Padalkar capturing attention in 2019,” he said.
Padalkar contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Sangli seat and received significant votes. Jankar served as a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, while Padalkar held the position of member of the Legislative Council (MLC). Dattatreya Bharne, the sitting MLA affiliated with the NCP (Ajit Pawar) from Indapur, is also from the Dhangar community. However, he has primarily focused on the politics of Indapur and has not taken a prominent role in the broader politics of the Dhangar community.
The Dhangar community makes up about 10 per cent of Maharashtra’s population, primarily concentrated in Western Maharashtra and certain districts of Vidarbha. In the state, they are categorised as part of the Vimukta Jati and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT), but they have been advocating for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The community primarily consists of pastoral shepherds and is also found in other states, including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. According to community leaders, the Dhangars are referred to as “Dhangads” in other parts of India, where they are recognised as part of the ST community.
In addition to seeking reservation, the community also requests the right to pastoral land, a movement led by Hatkar. Hatkar emphasised that the community’s traditional pastoral routes have been taken over by the reserve forests. As a result, the forest department has filed cases against people who occasionally stray into the protected forests.
“A few days before the Model Code of Conduct was announced, the state government formed a committee to address this demand, but it was too late to make any decisions,” he said. Both major demands remain unresolved, and Hatkar noted that the lack of cohesive leadership would be an issue during the elections.
“Local issues and leadership will ultimately determine voting choices; cohesion is now lacking,” Hatkar added.
Gopichand Padalkar, a dynamic leader from the community, is contesting from the Jat constituency in Sangli district on a BJP ticket. (Express Photo) 
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