Maharashtra Elections: Social Engineering? RPI Fields Rajput candidate On Single Seat In Mumbai

Mumbai: Out of the 288 seats in Maharashtra's assembly elections, one seat in the alliance with Mahayuti has come to Union Minister Ramdas Athawale's RPI. In such a situation, Athawale has fielded a Rajput candidate, not a minority or Dalit, on this seat. That is, the equation of BJP's social engineering is visible on this seat, the only RPI candidate from the state who is contesting on BJP's symbol.Kalina assembly constituency will once again see a contest between two-time MLA and Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Potnis and Amarjeet Singh, the official candidate of Mahayuti from RPI. In the 2014 assembly elections, Potnis had won over Singh by a margin of just 1,297 votes in a multi-cornered contest, in which Congress and undivided NCP had also fielded candidates. In the 2019 elections, Potnis managed to win the seat by a margin of 4,931 votes against the Congress candidate and the BJP did not field any candidate as they were in alliance with the United Shiv Sena.Amarjit Singh said that Kalina seat is the best example of social engineering. Apart from this, they also have many issues on which they are reaching out to the public during the elections.The votes received by the MNS candidate will only benefit the Mahayuti, so there is hope of success in defeating the Mahavikas Aghadi MLA. Mahayuti has geared up to fight against Mahavikas Aghadi candidate and Uddhav Thackeray's party leader Sanjay Potnis, who is a two-time winning MLA.The Kalina Assembly seat is one of the 288 assembly constituencies of Maharashtra. This seat has been important for many political parties, as well as interesting contests have been seen here in every election. Kalina assembly seat has seen a strong presence of Shiv Sena in the previous elections, but the upcoming elections can be tough depending on the alliance situation and local issues.Maharashtra currently has a Mahayuti coalition government headed by Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Apart from Shiv Sena, this alliance also includes BJP and NCP. On the other hand, the opposition alliance is Maha Vikas Aghadi which includes Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress, and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party. This time elections will be held on all the seats in Maharashtra in a single phase. Voting will be held in the state on November 20, after which the results will be declared on the 23rd.Congress Dominated The Seat EarlierIn the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Kripashankar Singh of the Indian National Congress won the Kalina assembly seat. Kripashankar Singh's victory was an important achievement for the Congress as the Congress was in power in the state at that time and was strengthening its hold through alliances. Kripashankar Singh was an experienced leader and the Congress had strong support in the Kalina region. According to the data of the year 2009, there were a total of 2,57,576 voters in this seat, including 1,44,501 men and 1,13,075 women.Strong Victory of Shiv SenaThe situation changed in the 2014 elections and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Potnis won the Kalina assembly seat, making it clear that Shiv Sena's hold in the area was getting stronger. However, after the elections, BJP and Shiv Sena formed an alliance and together they ruled Maharashtra for 5 years. In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, BJP and Shiv Sena contested together and Sanjay Potnis retained his victory. Shiv Sena won this seat for the second time in a row with its strategy and organizational strength. However, the dispute between Shiv Sena and BJP in 2019 and their contesting the elections separately has created some confusion in Kalina.