Maharashtra Election Results 2024: In the closely watched battle for the Yevla constituency in Maharashtra, three-time MLA and incumbent minister Chhagan Bhujbal of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar is leading against Manikrao Shinde, backed by Sharad Pawar’s faction of the NCP-SP by 23,583 votes with only four more rounds of vote counting left. The contest highlights a bitter political rivalry that has unfolded over decades, with caste dynamics and the split of the NCP.

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: Chhagan Bhujbal Vs Manikrao Shinde In Yevla 

Manikrao Shinde, a former ally of Bhujbal, was nominated by Sharad Pawar’s NCP to take on his one-time friend. Shinde, the son of former MLA Madhukarrao Shinde, had played a pivotal role in convincing Sharad Pawar to field Bhujbal from Yevla in 2004, according to The Times of India. However, their relationship soured, and Shinde joined Shiv Sena in 2009 to contest unsuccessfully against Bhujbal.  

Shinde expressed confidence in his campaign, stating, “It’s a matter of pride that NCP (Sharad Pawar) has put faith in me to take on Bhujbal. He believes the constituency is his bastion, but the voters will show us all whose bastion Yevla really is.”  

Chhagan Bhujbal has held the Yevla seat for 20 years but faced the challenge posed by Shinde and the opposition from Maratha quota activists. Bhujbal was targeted by Maratha reservation campaigner Manoj Jarange-Patil during the Maratha reservation agitation.  

In a verbal exchange, Bhujbal was accused of mocking the Maratha community, which sparked anger among voters. The Hindustan Times reported that Bhujbal remarked, “Let the Maratha people work as barbers for each other; don’t shave them and don’t cut their hair.” This has led to a call from Maratha leaders and villagers to defeat him.  

However, Bhujbal defended his record, highlighting his contributions to irrigation through a 165-km canal and other developmental projects. “Many Maratha community leaders in Yevla are campaigning for me. I will get the Maratha vote,” he said, as per The Hindustan Times.  

Maharashtra Election Results 2024: Caste Dynamics In Yevla  

Yevla has 3.2 lakh voters, including 1.2 lakh Marathas, 1 lakh Other Backward Classes (OBCs) with Bhujbal’s Maali community accounting for 25,000-30,000, 35,000 Muslim voters, and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.  

Sharad Pawar’s NCP has mobilised the Maratha and non-Maali OBC voters, with some villages even organising fundraisers for Shinde’s campaign, according to The Times of India. Pawar also urged voters to “teach Bhujbal a lesson” for betraying the party and its ideology.  

The Yevla contest is emblematic of the broader political battle between Sharad Pawar’s and Ajit Pawar’s NCP factions. The results could reshape alliances and influence caste-based voter alignments in the state.