Dynasty rules: Meet Maharashtra’s family packs in fray this election season

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis earlier said that local body polls belong to party workers and that they would be given priority.

The upcoming Maharashtra local body elections have seen a rise in family candidates with several parties fielding multiple members of the same clan. Local body elections in the state will be held in three rounds starting December 2.

Across the state, at least 29 candidates are relatives of prominent BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and several state ministers, while over a dozen dynastic nominees are from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as well as the Deputy CM Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

BJP candidates

In Jalgaon, Sadhana Mahajan, wife of cabinet minister Girish Mahajan, filed her nomination from the Jamner municipal council. In Chalisgaon, Pratibha Chavan, wife of BJP MLA Mangesh Chavan, entered the fray against NCP (SP) leader Rajiv Deshmukh’s family for the municipal council chairperson’s post.

In Yavatmal, Priyadarshani Uike, daughter of Tribal Development Minister Ashok Uike, filed her nomination. Labour Minister Akash Phundkar’s sister-in-law, Aparna Phundkar, is contesting from Khamgaon. Mohini Naik, wife of NCP leader and MoS Indranil Naik, entered the Pusad municipal council race, while former BJP MP Ramdas Tadas has fielded his wife, Shobha Tadas.

BJP MLA Tanaji Mutkule from Hingoli has pushed the candidature of his son, Shivaji Mutkule. “We held meetings with party workers at the block level to finalise candidates. They suggested my name every time, and after following all procedures, it was cleared,” Shivaji told Hindustan Times.

In the Nagpur division, Aalhad Kaloti, a cousin of CM Fadnavis, also faced no opposition in his election from a seat in the Chikhaldara Municipal Council.

BJP insiders told Indian Express that these selections reflect a growing belief among local party leaders that known family names carry “more weight” in small-town elections.

Shide Sena camp

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena granted six tickets to members of the influential Mhatre family for the Badlapur Municipal Council local elections. Waman Mhatre, is contesting alongside his wife, son, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.

Waman and his wife Veena, who is also contesting for the president's post, are fighting from Panel 19B. His brother Tukaram and sister-in-law Usha are candidates from Panel 1B and 9A. Additionally, his son Varun and nephew Bhavesh are contesting from Panel 3B and 21B respectively.

Badlapur has been the turf of the Mhatre family for over a decade. In the 2015 municipal polls, four of its members won council seats.

The Shinde faction also allotted three tickets to former councillor Pravin Raut, whose wife, Sheetal Raut, and sister-in-law, Vijaya Raut, are also in the fray.

 What does the opposition say?

Raksha Khadse, head of the NCP (SP) women’s wing, said on X, “The attitude of those in power is: if we do it, it's a dynasty; if they do it, it’s politics.” She listed multiple examples of relatives of ruling-party leaders being given tickets across Jalgaon and neighbouring areas.

According to many in the BJP and Sena, candidate selection continues to be heavily influenced by family connections, often at the cost of long-time party workers.

Votes will be counted on December 3. The elections will decide the fate of 6,859 members and 288 presidents across these local bodies, with over 1.07 crore eligible voters set to exercise their franchise at 13,355 polling stations.