BJP Revives Ma-dha-v Strategy for Maharashtra MLC Elections Ahead of Assembly Polls
BJP Revives Ma-dha-v Strategy for Maharashtra MLC Elections Ahead of Assembly Polls
After a significant setback in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, where their seat count dropped from 23 to nine, the BJP is focusing on rebuilding its support among the other backward class (OBC) voters. This effort is tied to the upcoming biennial election for the state legislative council on July 12.
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, emphasized that OBCs are integral to the BJP’s identity and assured that the party would not neglect them. To strengthen their social engineering strategy, the Sangh Parivar had previously introduced the Ma-dha-v formula, which targets the Mali, Dhangar, and Vanjari communities—key groups within the OBC category. However, in recent years, these communities have distanced themselves from the BJP, contributing to the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
For the upcoming state council elections, the BJP has announced five candidates, including Pankaja Munde, who belongs to the Vanjari community. Munde recently faced a tough defeat in the Lok Sabha elections against NCP (SP) candidate Bajran Sonawane.
Munde also lost the 2019 state assembly election to her cousin, Dhananjay Munde, an NCP minister in the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Despite these setbacks, Pankaja Munde, the daughter of the late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, has been nominated to help regain the support of the Vanjari community.
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