Amid focus on dynasty politics: Families face off in Maharashtra’s high-stakes assembly elections on November 20 

As Maharashtra gears up for the November 20 state assembly elections, dynastic politics continues to make waves, with families pitting relatives against each other in several key constituencies. Amid accusations of promoting family-based political power, the election will see brothers, cousins, uncles, and even husband and wife contesting from rival parties. 

One of the most high-profile family battles will take place in Baramati, the stronghold of the Pawar family. Yugendra Pawar, the nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, will challenge his uncle in the race for the Baramati seat. Yugendra is contesting as a candidate from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), while Ajit Pawar, who has won the Baramati assembly seat seven times, will be representing the NCP.  

This family showdown follows a similar clash during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, was defeated by his cousin, Supriya Sule, in the Baramati parliamentary seat. 

In the neighbouring Karjat-Jamkhed constituency, Rohit Pawar, another nephew of Ajit Pawar, is up against BJP’s Ram Shinde. Rohit is contesting as an NCP (SP) candidate and is the grand-nephew of Sharad Pawar, the party patriarch. 

Further west in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the race for the Kannad seat sees an unusual face-off between Harshwardhan Jadhav, an independent candidate, and his estranged wife, Sanjana Jadhav, who is standing as a Shiv Sena candidate. Sanjana is the daughter of former Union Minister Raosaheb Danve, and her brother Santosh Danve is contesting from Bhokardan in Jalna as a BJP candidate. 

In Latur, Amit Deshmukh and Dhiraj Deshmukh, the sons of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, are contesting from Latur City and adjoining Latur Rural seats, respectively, representing the Congress party. 

Dynastic politics is also evident in the Rane family, with Nitesh Rane and Nilesh Rane, sons of BJP MP and former CM Narayan Rane, contesting from Kudal and Kankavli constituencies, respectively. Nitesh Rane is running under the Shiv Sena (UBT) banner, while Nilesh is contesting as a BJP candidate. 

In Mumbai, the Thackeray cousins are also in the fray, each contesting from different seats. Aaditya Thackeray, the sitting Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA, is re-contesting from Worli, while his maternal cousin Varun Sardesai is standing from Bandra East as a Shiv Sena candidate. Another cousin, Amit Thackeray, the son of Raj Thackeray (head of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena), is contesting from Mahim. 

The contest also features Ganesh Naik, a former Maharashtra minister, running as a BJP candidate from Airoli, while his son Sandeep Naik is competing from the neighbouring Belapur seat as an NCP (SP) nominee. 

In Nandurbar, Vijaykumar Gavit, a senior BJP leader, is contesting from the Nandurbar assembly seat, while his daughter and former MP, Heena Gavit, is standing as an independent candidate from the neighbouring Akkalkuwa constituency. 

Another family battle unfolds in Islampur, where Jayant Patil, NCP (SP) state president, is contesting against his nephew Prajakt Tanpure, a former Maharashtra minister, who is running for the party in Rahuri. 

In Yevala, Chhagan Bhujbal, a senior NCP leader, is contesting from the NCP ticket, while his nephew, Sameer Bhujbal, a former MP, is standing as an independent candidate from Nandgaon. 

BJP’s Ashish Shelar, president of the Mumbai unit, is contesting from Bandra West, while his brother Vinod Shelar is vying for the Malad West seat. 

In Nanded, a significant contest involves Santukrao Hambarde from the BJP, contesting the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll, while his brother, Mohanrao Hambarde, is running as a Congress candidate in the Nanded South assembly seat. 

This family-centric electoral battleground reflects the persistent influence of dynastic politics in Maharashtra, where political legacies often run deep across generations. As voters head to the polls on November 20, these high-profile family rivalries will make for a dramatic and fiercely contested election. 

(With inputs from PTI)