Gyanbachi Mekh | November 24 | Bhairawnath Wakale
Cultural Politics Recently, assembly elections were held in Ahmednagar district, marked by fierce political battles across all constituencies. While minor disputes arose in some areas, no major incidents were reported. Voting took place on Wednesday, the 20th, following public meetings by key leaders: Uddhav Thackeray (Shrigonda), Sharad Pawar (Vambori, Shevgaon), Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra (Shirdi), Supriya Sule, and Amol Kolhe (Ahmednagar city), and Jayant Patil (Karjat-Jamkhed). On the other side, MahaYuti held public meetings with Eknath Shinde (Newasa), Ajit Pawar (Bhalawani, Parner), and Pankaja Munde (Pathardi).
Both MahaVikas Aghadi (MVA) and MahaYuti reached out to voters, but the results on Saturday, November 23, revealed that out of 12 MLAs, 10 from MahaYuti were elected, leaving only Shrirampur and Karjat-Jamkhed under MVA. The entire district turned ‘saffron,’ and candidates supported by Sharad Pawar faced significant defeat, despite his public meeting.
Years ago, Sharad Pawar remarked at an event for former CPI MLA P.B. Kadu Patil, “Ahmednagar, once a ‘red’ district, turned ‘saffron’ without anyone noticing.” Today, looking at Pawar’s failure to secure a win even after addressing two public meeting, one can’t help but recall his own regretful statement.
The NCP claims allegiance to progressive ideals of Phule, Shahu, and Ambedkar. Despite this, left-wing and progressive groups like Sambhaji Brigade have cooperated with them under a “better-than-worse” approach. Intellectual movements like ‘Nirbhay Bano’ continue their support, recognizing threats to Maharashtra’s progressive legacy and the Constitution. However, NCP’s inconsistent stance undermines these efforts.
NCP’s past compromises with reactionary forces like RSS have forced progressive groups into difficult positions. While they invoke Phule, Shahu, and Ambedkar in speeches, their actions often reflect Savarkar, Golwalkar, and Tilak. Many NCP leaders tacitly advance RSS’s cultural agenda, which has now led to their electoral downfall.
The RSS’s cultural politics has played a significant role in turning Ahmednagar ‘saffron.’ Sharad Pawar must acknowledge this within his party. The NCP urgently needs to educate its leaders and workers on cultural politics, awaken them to Maharashtra’s progressive heritage, and warn them about threats to the Constitution. They must devise strategies to counter this agenda effectively.
An example of this mindset is when an NCP candidate in Ahmednagar canceled a November 17 public rally by ‘Nirbhay Bano’ leaders Adv. Asim Sarode and Vishwambhar Chaudhari, fearing it might upset BJP supporters expected to help them. Such decisions have only aided the transformation of the ‘red’ district to ‘saffron.’
Progressive movements and leftist parties are more proactive and aware of these challenges, continuously working towards countering them. This is a lesson worth noting.
