UBT faction struggles in Marathwada: Micro-planning gaps to blame

Raj Patil

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction secured only three seats in Marathwada during the assembly elections, with nine of its candidates narrowly missing victory. MLC Danve claims that the party has a favorable environment. Analysts attribute this underperformance to gaps in micro-planning, internal divisions, and other strategic missteps.

In the region, UBT fielded 16 official candidates and one AB from rebel, making a total of 17 candidates. Out of these, three candidates won, while nine finished as runners-up. The victorious candidates include UBT's Rahul Patil, who secured a win in Parbhani, defeating SHS-ES candidate Anand Bhansore by a margin of 34,216 votes. Kailas Patil claimed the Osmanabad seat with a margin of 36,566 votes over SHS-ES’s Ajit Pingle. Additionally, Pravin Swami won against Shinde Sena's Dnyanraj Chougule in Umagra, albeit by a narrow margin of 3,965 votes.

Despite having a strong organizational presence, as said by the MLC, no significant impact was visible in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the UBT failed to secure any wins. The statistics and the statements are different from each other. The stats and statements tell completely different stories. Even among the runner-ups, except for two constituencies, all candidates trailed by more than 10,000 votes.

Microplanning missed

"The UBT faction fell short in microplanning, which played a key role in the BJP, rebels and others clinching victory. The Mahayuti effectively leveraged schemes like 'Ladki Behna,' gaining an edge in voter connect. Some UBT runner-up candidates lost by narrow margins, highlighting the critical importance of last-mile strategy. While the party's presence remains strong, it needs to focus on grassroots mobilisation and microplanning to counter the BJP’s well-oiled election machinery." ----------------------(Syed Rizwanullah) Political analyst.

Money power and trust

"The recent Assembly elections saw massive use of money power, especially in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Despite UBT's leadership creating a favourable environment, Rs 70 to Rs 80 crore was reportedly distributed in some constituencies. The Mahayuti's victory in the district and state heavily relied on financial influence. During the elections, I travelled extensively across Marathwada. The immense affection and trust shown by the people in our party and Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership deeply moved me. This faith inspires us to work even harder for the people. Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology has shaped constituencies, and we are committed to taking his thoughts to every household. We will also focus on nurturing a new generation of young leaders to strengthen the party’s future," said Ambadas Danve (Leader of Opposition to the Legislative Council).

UBT runner-ups and their vote margins:

Nanded (Loha) : Eknath Dada Pawar (-10,973 votes), Hingoli (Kalamnuri): Dr Santosh Tarfe (-31,083 votes), Hingoli (Hingoli): Rupalitai Patil (-10,926 votes), Parbhani (Gangakhed): Vishal Kadam (-26,292 votes), Jalna (Partur): Asaram Borade (-4,740 votes), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Sillod): Suresh Bankar (-2,420 votes), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad West Constituency): Raju Shinde (-16,351 votes), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Paithan): Dattatray Gorde (-29,192 votes), Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Vaijapur): Dr. Dinesh Pardeshi (-41,658 votes)