Maharashtra Elections: Congress' Face Nana Patole Seen As Key Player In Battle For Vidarbha

Nana Patole, who heads the Congress in poll-bound Maharashtra, is seen as key to the grand old party's prospects in the agrarian belt of Vidarbha. The region, located in eastern Maharashtra, will witness a direct faceoff between Congress and arch-rival Bharatiya Janata Party in 36 seats.

There are a total of 62 assembly segments that fall under the Vidarbha region, which spreads across the districts of Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, and Yavatmal.

In 2014, Vidarbha had played a key role in the ascent of the BJP as the dominant player in Maharashtra's politics. The saffron party had won 44 out of 62 seats in the assembly polls 10 years ago, whereas the Congress was reduced to 10 constituencies.

Patole, who was with the BJP during the 2014 polls, is said to have played a crucial role in powering its landslide win in the Vidarbha region. "The results in at least four districts—Bhandara, Gondia, Wardha, and Chandrapur—were directly impacted by Patole's electioneering. He had turned the tides," said Bhandara-based political activist Annaso Ingole.

Notably, Patole started his political career with the Congress but switched to the BJP in 2008. He was elected as a member to the Lok Sabha from the Bhandara-Gondia constituency in 2014. Three years later, in 2017, Patole turned against the BJP leadership as he accused the central government of "turning a blind eye" to the plight of farmers in Maharashtra.

A meeting with the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi in early 2018 paved the way for Patole's return to the party. "In 2019, Maharashtra Congress began showing the first signs of recovery in Vidarbha, and that is due to Patole's return," Ingole pointed out. In the assembly polls held that year, the Congress' overall performance was flat, but its tally in Vidarbha rose to 15 from 10 seats.

In 2021, Congress ruffled feathers within the state's political circles by appointing Patole—who returned to the party barely three years ago—as the president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. The appointment raised eyebrows among the party's allies as well, as Patole declared that his aim is to make the Congress "the single-largest party" in Maharashtra.

"Passing the baton to Patole was a bid that paid off, especially in Vidarbha, where the BJP faced a rout in the Lok Sabha polls," says 57-year-old Sunil Mhaske, who claims to be a Congress worker in Akola for the last two decades.

Out of the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Vidarbha, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition was reduced to three seats, whereas the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi won seven in the May-June general elections. In comparison, the BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had won nine out of the 10 seats in 2019.

"The 2024 Lok Sabha results show the political sentiment in Maharashtra. Vidarbha, in particular, is the bellwether of state's politics. It shows the way the political wind is blowing," according to Mhaske.

The poll battle for Vidarbha also assumes significance as its outcome would largely depend on the direct faceoff between the Congress and the BJP. The two national parties are locked in a direct contest in 76 assembly segments of Maharashtra, out of which 36 are located in Vidarbha.

If Congress scores an upper hand against the BJP in these seats, then Patole could be headed for a major post-election role, analysts say. Notably, Patole was not part of the last MVA government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. He had then served as the assembly speaker.

In the Nov. 20 polls, Patole is in the fray from his incumbent seat, Sakoli, which he has represented a total of four times in the legislative assembly.

In his poll affidavit, the 61-year-old Patole declared a net income of Rs 34.46 lakh in fiscal 2024, higher as compared to Rs 14.58 lakh in fiscal 2019. His total asset ownership as of Mar. 31, 2024, was worth Rs 2.34 crore.

All the 288 assembly segments of Maharashtra will be contested in a single phase. The counting of votes will be held on Nov. 23.