For last 20 years, Shiv Sena’s Member of Parliament from Aurangabad, Chandrakant Khaire has won the elections on a rhetoric that has now gripped the nation in many parts. He asks Hindu voters “Khan hava ki baan hava? (Do you want Khan [a Muslim], or arrow [Sena]).”
In deeply divided Aurangabad, where a road cutting through the old and new parts of the city creates Muslim and Hindu ghettos, the Sena first played the religion card in 1988. It won the civic elections then and till 2019 all civic issues — be it providing water for 24 hours, constructing good roads, or garbage removal — lie buried under this communal plank. But that’s not all.
Aurangabad can be termed as a microcosm of new India. It hosts a radical and vibrant Dalit movement, thanks to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who set up educational institutions here. The Left, trade and student unions are still a recognisable force. It was the centre of the 2016 Maratha agitation as the first silent march was organised here. The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) — an alliance between Prakash Ambedkar’s Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh and Asaduddin Owaisi–led AIMIM, which boasts of Dalit and Muslim unity — was announced here. Despite this, the radical Hindutva of Sena has ensured that right-wing politics continue to dominate the discourse.
In the current elections, Mr. Khaire faces one of the toughest battles of his political career in a four-corner fight. While the Congress has fielded industrialist Subhash Zambad, AIMIM’s Imtiyaz Jaleel (a sitting MLA) is contesting as VBA candidate, and Sena MLA-turned-Independent Harshwardhan Jadhav is posing a threat to cut in to Sena’s votes, especially of Maratha community. Mr. Jadhav is a son-in-law of BJP’s State unit president Raosaheb Danve.
Congress leader Subhash Zambad
“It is a fact that the Sena MP’s long stint has not brought development to Aurangabad and even people have realised the same. It however, remains to be seen as whether the voters will rise above this type of politics and vote for another candidate,” says Suhas Sardeshmukh, senior journalist from Aurangabad. Political observers see Aurangabad as a seat with possibly the sharpest anti-incumbency in Marathwada.
Much to the surprise of all Mr. Jaleel has emerged as a front-runner. “His voters are the young voters, be it from Muslim or Dalit community. The young crowd feels that their communities lack representation in Parliament and if Jaleel can be that representative, then why not vote for him?” says Prof. H.N. Sonkamble of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University.
VBA’s Imtiyaz Jaleel
Though the Congress has not won this seat in 20 years, it has retained its votebank. While VBA is surely to cut in to it this time, Mr. Zambad is silently working in the rural areas, running an impressive ad campaign on the failures of the civic body. Mr. Zambad, a Marwari, is said to have received support from the business community which is unhappy over the incumbent MP’s inability to bring industries and jobs here. “The Congress was never weak in Auranagabad, but the party never encouraged leadership from here. A leader of Aurangabad becomes de facto leader of Marathwada region and other strong party leaders never wanted that. This infighting harmed the party terribly,” says Pramod Mane, a senior journalist, working in the city for over 20 years.
Maratha favourite Harshvardhan Jadhav
But the surprise package this year is Harshwardhan Jadhav. He won from Kannad Assembly seat in 2009 as MNS candidate, quit the party and contested on a Sena ticket in 2014 and won. He resigned when the Maratha agitation was at it’s peak as a mark of protest over the government’s handling of the situation and is now contesting as an Independent. Maratha organisations have unofficially declared support to Mr. Jadhav. According to Rajabhau Mogul, an analyst of Maratha movement in Aurangabad, the community will come out in support of Mr. Jadhav in large numbers. “Marathas have not enjoyed Lok Sabha representation from Aurangabad for 20 years now. Besides, he is the only Maratha candidate among the top four and supported the movement from inside by all means. There is goodwill for him,” he says.