Shirur, Maval turn into prestige battle for Sena, NCP factions

In Shirur, the battle is between sitting MP and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Amol Kolhe and Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil from NCP (Ajit Pawar faction)

Shirur and Maval, two of the 11 constituencies that will vote in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on Monday, are important for both the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) as the battle is between candidates from two parties that split.

Interestingly, both constituencies are mix of urban and rural mix with areas like Chakan and Talegaon in Shirur and Maval home to India’s biggest auto hub. (HT PHOTO)

In Shirur, the battle is between sitting MP and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) candidate Amol Kolhe and Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil from NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).

These two leaders had a face-off in 2019 too, although this time they are fighting polls on new symbols, with Kolhe contesting with tutari (trumpet) and Adhalrao, a former Shiv Sena leader, now fighting on watch symbol.

In Maval, the fight is between two Shiv Senas-- one led by Eknath Shinde which has fielded Shrirang Barne, fighting on bow and arrow symbol and another by Uddhav Thackeray, whose candidate is Sanjog Waghere, fighting on mashal (flaming torch) symbol.

For voters of Shirur and Maval, farmer distress, unemployment and infrastructure woes are issues on their top of mind as they cast their votes today.

Interestingly, both constituencies are mix of urban and rural mix with areas like Chakan and Talegaon in Shirur and Maval home to India’s biggest auto hub.

According to Jay Jadhav, a resident of the Maval constituency, the government should be in the hands of well-educated candidates who can give a comprehensive and sustainable development of the constituency.

“The rising inflation and unemployment is a major issue and on top of that, the cost of education in good institutes is high. For the future of our children, we need good educational institutes and employment opportunities. The government provide good healthcare facilities for free or at nominal costs,” said Jadhav.

Another resident from the Maval constituency, Dattatray Deshmukh, said, “I will vote for a candidate who will carry out development works for the area. For the last ten years, we have been having problems related to water, traffic and unemployment but there is no development.”

In 2019, voters’ turnout in Maval and Shirur was around 59% and the Election Commission (EC) hopes the number will push up further this time with awareness campaigns being held and the possibility of rain offering respite from the heat.

Pimpri-Chinchwad and Bhosari, which are part of Maval seat, houses automobile and electronic ancillaries. Many of these companies often face power cuts and rising costs of raw materials.

At the same time, there are large numbers of farmers in both constituencies with MVA setting a narrative that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is anti-farmer and raises critical issues like inflation, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and ban on onion export in Maharashtra.

Santosh Dhole, a resident of Shirur constituency, said, the problem of the onion ban and GST on all agricultural equipment, fertilizers and pesticides is a major issue.

“I want a government that would implement farmer-friendly policies and stop the GST on farm products. The rising inflation is a cause of concern and unemployment makes the lives of the common man difficult. The unemployment of youth in this area is a big problem and the youth don’t have permanent jobs despite the MIDC area in the constituency,” he said.

Another resident of the constituency, Sanjeevan Sangale, said, there is a problem of traffic on Talegaon-Dabade to Shikrapur Road with regular vehicle hold-ups and traffic chaos in Chakan, these issues should be solved on priority.

“The issue of traffic in Chakan has been pending for over a decade. The problem of the red zone should be solved in the Bhosari and Chikhali areas.”