The Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP—has lost a partner, about a month ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections. Rashtriya Samaj Paksha, which has one legislator, has quit the ruling saffron alliance.
RSP president Mahadev Jankar added that the party wants to grow, and will contest all 288 seats. “We have to decide how long do we have to follow someone or get dragged behind someone. We have decided to part ways,” Jankar told THE WEEK over phone. He was close to BJP's Pankaja Munde—she had said some years ago that he was like her elder brother.
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Mahadev Jankar has been part of saffron alliance since 2014 Lok Sabha polls when he had contested from Baramati constituency against Supriya Sule, and gave her a tough fight. His caste helped him as there is a sizeable number of voters of Dhangar community in Baramati constituency. After the BJP government came to power in Maharashtra in 2014, Jankar was made a legislative council member and a minister. When the BJP returned to power in 2022 after chief minister Shinde's rebellion, Jankar hoped to be made a minister again. But that did not happen.
That he was upset with the BJP became clear when he met Sharad Pawar before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis managed to convince him and he was given the ticket from Parbhani Lok Sabha seat. But he lost the election again.
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Jankar, reportedly, wanted more than 40 seats this time for his party, a demand which was impossible to be fulfilled. So, he decided to part ways.
Jankar has a large following in the Dhangar community, but does not like to be called a Dhangar leader. “Don't call me leader of Dhangars. I am a leader of everyone. My party is not named Dhangar Samaj Party. I have strength to fight all 288 seats,” he told THE WEEK.
He is learnt to have finalised candidates for almost 200 seats—he has got 3-4 applications for each seat. What remains to be seen is whether his party's lone legislator Ratnakar Gutte follows his party boss or makes a separate arrangement with the BJP in Gangakhed constituency.