Vibes Of Vidarbha, Dispatch 2: Regional Dynamics, Key Players, And The Battle For Political Power

In the previous dispatch, we got an overview of the socio-economic factors at play in Vidarbha. We will delve into the politics of the region in this one.

In spite of the perceived neglect by the locals, four chief ministers of Maharashtra have come from this region. Apart from Devendra Fadnavis, Marotrao Kannamwar (Chandrapur), Vasantrao Naik (Yavatmal), and Sudhakarrao Naik (Yavatmal) have been chief ministers of Maharashtra from Vidarbha.

Vasantrao Naik ushered in the green revolution in the state. His nephew, Sudhakarrao Naik, was chief minister during the 1992 Mumbai riots.

Politics of Vidarbha

Vidarbha’s political landscape is a dynamic interplay of caste, regional pride, and agricultural grievances. The main community groups are the Marathas, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), tribals, and Dalits.

In the representation at the Lok Sabha, Vidarbha is a region where the BJP once held a dominant position but recently experienced significant setbacks in the 2024 parliamentary election.

In 2014, the BJP-Sena won all the 10 Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the support of independent Navneet Rana of Amravati, had nine Members of Parliament (MPs). In 2024, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won seven out of 10 seats in this region. The Congress has also regained ground by winning seats in local body elections.

Vidarbha’s vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha election leaned heavily towards the NDA (55 per cent), but the 2024 results saw the MVA gaining ground (46 per cent to the NDA's 37 per cent). The assembly segment-wise split of the results is 151-128 in favour of the MVA for all of Maharashtra, with MVA winning more than 50 in Vidarbha.

Nagpur hosts the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). BJP’s top state leaders, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, and state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, hail from this region.

Caste Dynamics and Political Figures

Vidarbha’s caste dynamics add layers of complexity with different thematic contests in different constituencies, making it hard to come up with a big-picture narrative.

OBC-Dalit Divide: The western Vidarbha region sees a marked divide between OBC and Dalit communities, with leaders like Prakash Ambedkar representing Dalit voices, often clashing with OBC-dominated parties. The newly politically active neo-Buddhists, mostly Mahars, appear to be strongly anti-BJP. Scaremongering about changes to the constitution influenced voter sentiment to a large extent in the recent polls. The Dalits form around 12 per cent of the population.

MADHAV: Mali-Dhankar-Vanjara is the OBC combine that the BJP propped up to counter the Marathas. They form around 15 per cent of the population. In 2014, the late Gopinath Munde tirelessly worked towards forming the MADHAV alliance, yielding favourable results in the election. The Dhangar community plays a pivotal role in various districts, including Akola and Yavatmal. The Banjaras, nomadic tribes originally from Rajasthan, are politically significant in areas like Yavatmal, where Sanjay Rathod holds sway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is notably popular in the community.

Kunbis and Maratha Agitation: The Kunbis, primarily agriculturalists, are often seen as "agri-Marathas," unlike the Kshatriya vintage of western Maharashtra's Maratha community. As such, the Maratha agitation for reservations has less resonance in Vidarbha, where the Kunbis’ needs are more agrarian-focused.

The Muslim vote: Twelve per cent of the population of Maharashtra is Muslims. Regions like Yavatmal, Buldhana, and Amravati have a significant Muslim population. Amravati especially stands as a significant "Muslim hub," often viewed as a waypoint for migration between Bangladesh and Mumbai. It has seen episodes of communal tension, notably with the "Sar Tan Se Juda" execution of a Hindu activist. 

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led by the Owaisi brothers, also has some influence, adding a layer of political competition among Muslim and Dalit voters, where AIMIM and Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) vie for influence. If so, who emerges as the vote-cutters in the predominantly OBC versus Dalits contests in certain constituencies will be an interesting question.

Maoist Influence in Eastern Vidarbha: Districts like Gadchiroli are home to dense forests and tribal populations and are also significant for their coal reserves. This has made the area a focal point for Maoist insurgency, with local strongmen like former Union minister Praful Patel somehow managing to maintain influence.

The Congress benefits from a coalition of votes, particularly among Muslims, Marathas, and Dalits, although this varies across constituencies. In Eastern Vidarbha, it is an alliance of Muslims, tribals, and Dalits. As a ballpark, this typically translates into an initial 35 per cent voter base for the Congress, especially from Muslim and Dalit communities, whereas the BJP often has to build support from the ground up to reach a competitive 45 per cent. To counter the nexus, the BJP-led coalition employs strategies like fielding rebel candidates, engineering defections, or creating triangular contests.

Meanwhile, Muslims in many parts have supported the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), or SS(UBT), due to its anti-Modi stance. It is uncertain how long this love affair will last. The unexpected success of the MVA in the parliamentary elections has led to internal power struggles over seat-sharing.

Key Leaders and Constituencies

Due to the culture of "local strongman" politics, politicians create local bastions, taking credit for initiatives by state or central governments while maintaining flexible political alliances. Prominent figures from Vidarbha in recent Maharashtra and national politics include:

Mahayuti

• Devendra Fadnavis: The most high-profile leader from Vidarbha, he continues to drive the BJP’s agenda in the state.

• Nana Patole: The state president of Congress. In 2014, as a BJP candidate, he defeated Praful Patel to become MP (Bhandara).

Others

• Bachu Kadu: A former irrigation minister and president of Prahar Janshakti Party (Amravati)

We will look at candidates of various constituencies in future dispatches.

Recent Events

• Social media is abuzz with how BJP-Shiv Sena have paid lip service to Hindutva at the time of elections in comparison with Yogi's bulldozers.

In the next dispatches, we hear the vox populi. I end this one with a picture of Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur, where Dr B R Amedkar and his 4 lakh followers converted to Buddhism in 1956.

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