40% Cong & 33% BJP nominees fighting polls from Vidarbha

Nagpur: Just like the road to Delhi's seat of power runs through Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), no political party can win Maharashtra without wresting Vidarbha. Statistics tell the story — the region accounts for 62 legislators of a total of 288, and it's only here that two national parties call the shots and houses the state's top political brass for both sides of the ideological divide.Unlike other regions, where regional allies too have their fiefdoms, Vidarbha provides BJP & Congress the launch pad to secure power in Maharashtra. It's no wonder that both parties are fighting tooth and nail for control of Vidarbha, and yet again, the important stuff lies in the details. BJP is contesting on almost 150 seats in Maharashtra, and 33% of those are in Vidarbha. Congress has gone further and is betting more on Vidarbha, by fielding almost 40% of their total 102 candidates from Vidarbha.Unless either party sweeps the Vidarbha region, their chances of being the ‘big brother' in their respective alliances diminish along with their ability to form the govt.The best example of Vidarbha's impact on govt formation in Maharashtra can be seen from BJP's performance in last two elections. In 2014, BJP won on 44 seats in Vidarbha which helped it to power through and form a post-poll alliance with Shiv Sena. Led by Nagpur South-West MLA Devendra Fadnavis as CM, the alliance provided a stable govt till end of their tenure. And the year 2014 was also unique because all four major parties fought solo, hence the strength of each was tested to the fullest.However, in 2019, BJP could win only 29 seats in Vidarbha which impacted its bargaining value in the pre-poll alliance with Shiv Sena. The loss of 15 seats forced loss of leverage and ultimately the alliance collapsed over differences on the CM's post.Vidarbha for long had been the bastion for Congress, helping it to maintain hold over state politics, but since early Nineties, BJP created a niche for itself here.Congress leader and former cabinet minister Anees Ahmed said "Vidarbha holds the key to power and this has been the case since Indira Gandhi's time. We as a party have fielded so many MLAs in this region and are confident of winning maximum seats here, which will ultimately ensure the MVA's return to power." The BJP too knows the importance of this region in the political numbers game, hence shifted focus here. Deaven Dasture, joint treasurer of BJP's city unit, said "This region is the only one where national parties dominate, hence the battle for us is with Congress. So, winning maximum seats in Vidarbha is crucial for everyone and we are working hard on it."He added there is much at stake here due to decision makers hailing from this region.
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