Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav wins Pune graduates' seat, BJP's Smita Jadhav gamble fails

The BJP did not get the success it expected in the Pune Graduates' constituency election. Despite having power, the organisation and the backing of an influential political family, and despite going all out to win, the result did not go the party's way. The BJP lost this seat in 2020. To win it back, the party inducted Smita Jadhav of the influential Jadhav family of Kolhapur at the last moment and made her its candidate. But this surprise move did not have the impact that was expected.

Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav of the Sharadchandra Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party won, dealing a blow to the BJP's strategy. After the result, discussion has begun on the politics of choosing candidates, resentment within the party and the strength of the organisation. The biggest question is where the BJP's calculations went wrong despite an influential surname and the power of office. Did its opponents defeat the BJP, or did the shortcomings of its own strategy open the way to defeat? The answer to that question will decide the party's direction for the coming elections.

The constituency spans five districts: Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur. There were 47 candidates in the fray, but the main contest was between Smita Jadhav and Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav. There was talk that Sharad Lad, son of sitting MLA Arun Lad, and Bhaiyya Mane, a leader of the Ajit Pawar faction, also wanted to contest. In the end the opportunity went to Smita Jadhav, which raised the question whether this caused resentment among the supporters of the local aspirants.

Bhaiyya Mane filed his nomination as an independent but later withdrew it. Against this background, how actively the aspirants' supporters took part in the campaign can be answered only by the BJP's own introspection.

Smita Jadhav is related to Congress leader Satej alias Bunty Patil, so it was expected that she would benefit from the political equations in Kolhapur. But the Congress, honouring the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, took a stand in support of Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav. Political commitment thus ranked above personal ties. There is also discussion on whether the BJP's traditional workers were uneasy at an outsider being given preference.

On the other side, Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav benefited from the leadership of Sharad Pawar and the coordination within the Maha Vikas Aghadi. As the daughter of Prabhakar Deshmukh, her contacts in the Pune, Satara and Sangli region also proved important. Sunil Modi of Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena was also in the fray, yet the BJP did not get the benefit of a split in votes that it had hoped for.