A united Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) proved too much for the BJP to handle as Congress candidate Jayshree Jadhav emerged victorious in the Kolhapur North Assembly bypoll in Maharashtra, the counting for which took place on Saturday, with a margin of over 19,000 votes.
Jayshree Jadhav, the widow of Congress MLA Chandrakant Jadhav whose death in December last year necessitated the bypoll, defeated Satyajit Kadam of the BJP in a contest in which both sides left no stone unturned to woo voters and where allegations and counter-allegations ruled the roost during the campaigning phase.
Moments after her victory, Jadhav said the people of Kolhapur have given a befitting reply to the divisive politics practised by the BJP. “Kolhapur is a Shahu Nagari. It belongs to Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj where there is no place for casteism… The people of Kolhapur have shown the BJP its place. They have given the BJP a befitting reply for their caste politics,” she asserted.
Right from round one of the counting process, Jadhav was leading with her margin increasing after each round. By the 10th round, it had become clear that Jadhav would emerge victorious and MVA workers and leaders began to celebrate. After the 26th round, Jadhav was declared the winner by a margin of over 19,000 votes. She secured 94,767 votes while the BJP’s Satyajit Kadam managed to get 76,123.
As her victory triggered massive celebrations among members of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena, Jadhav said, “The gulal that is being thrown in the air is about development… We will work relentlessly for the development of Kolhapur and will always support the people of Kolhapur.”
A section of the Shiv Sena was initially not keen on supporting the Congress candidate, but relented later after directives from Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. After BJP state president Chandrakant Patil said that he would take sanyas in the Himalayas if the party’s candidate lost, the Sena put up boards that said ‘Himalaya ki goad may’, in a taunt at Patil.
“If any Kolhapur MLA resigns and there is a bypoll, the BJP candidate will win hands down. If he loses, I will go to the Himalayas,” Patil had said earlier. Asked about this statement after the BJP’s defeat, Patil said, “My party and I will take a call on it.” He said the BJP had highlighted issues that affected the people of Kolhapur, including the floods. “But, finally, it is the voters who decide,” he said.
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Congress leader and MVA minister Satej Patil, who was in charge of the polls for the party, said the people of Kolhapur rejected the Hindutva card played by the saffron party. “The BJP carried out a virulently Hindutva campaign, but the party fell flat on its face. There is a clear message from Kolhapur that any attempt by the BJP to divide people in the name of caste and religion will not succeed,” he said.
Satej Patil said the MVA was fully united in Kolhapur. “Our unity has shown that the BJP is easily beatable. And if we remain united like this elsewhere in the state, there is no reason why the MVA should not remain on top in every election,” the minister said. He also alleged that the BJP had tried to distribute money to voters. “But we stopped them in their tracks and caught them red-handed.”
Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the victory is commendable in the face of false charges being raked up by the BJP against MVA leaders and its attempt to defame the government. “The victory proves that voters have not liked the cheap and dirty politics played by the BJP. This is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the BJP’s hate politics will not work… All the three constituents of the MVA who fought unitedly have set a good example… This should be replicated across Maharashtra.”
Reacting to the poll results, senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, who is a minister in the MVA government, said, “The BJP used every trick in the bag to woo voters, be it in the name of religion or distributing money, but the people rejected their kind of politics.”
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BJP leaders, meanwhile, admitted that they did play the Hindutva card. “Hindutva is not our agenda, it is our atma (soul) and shwas (breath)… not our agenda… Hindu word has secularism in it, it has a progressive outlook,” Chandrakant Patil said.
While MVA leaders said their united efforts paid rich dividends, the BJP conceded that it was up against three parties though it did get some support from disgruntled Shiv Sena workers. “The Sena leadership had appointed observers to keep a close watch on their rank and file… We were up against the three constituents of the MVA. It was a one-versus-three contest,” he added.
Enthused by the victory, Congress leaders believe the Kolhapur formula should be replicated everywhere as it will end the BJP’s attempts to spread polarisation and hatred. “Despite all its poisonous campaign, the BJP failed at its polarisation attempts in Kolhapur. The meticulously planned Kolhapur formula will stop the BJP’s hate campaign in its tracks,” minister Satej Patil said.
Amid tight security measures, the counting began at 8 am with workers and leaders turning up in big numbers outside the counting centre. Around 61 per cent voting was registered in the bypoll held on April 12.
