How Eknath Shinde's rebellion poses a threat to NCP’s Supriya Sule
India Today
An explainer on how Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray affects Supriya Sule's political standing.
After Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde's rebellion, the power dynamics in the state have changed drastically. The mass exodus from Shiv Sena has left the future of the party hanging in balance. But apart from the Shiv Sena, the rebellion also poses a threat to NCP’s Supriya Sule.
Let's take a look at how Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray affects Supriya Sule's political standing.
The Baramati Loksabha Constituency comprises of six assembly segments -- Baramati City, Daund, Indapur, Purandar, Khadakwasla and Bhor.
In the 2014 Loksabha elections, amidst the strong Modi wave, Supriya Sule’s margin of victory was just over 50,000. In 2019, however, her numbers improved with over 1,50,000 votes. Kanchan Kul, wife of BJP MLA from Daund Rahul Kul, was the BJP candidate against Supriya. Though Supriya Sule was pitched against a political novice, majority of her lead came only from the family bastion of Baramati city segment.
Supriya Sule got 1,74,986 votes in Baramati city while Kul got 47,068 votes.
Another significant lead came in from Indapur assembly segment, where she got 1,23,573 votes, whereas, Kul polled 52,635 votes. Supriya got 1,09,163 votes in the Bhor assembly segment, compared to the 90,159 votes polled by Kul. In the Purandar assembly, Sule’s margin was lowered as she got 1,04,872 votes against Kul’s 95,191 votes. Biggest setback came in from the Khadakwasla assembly segment where she trailed by over 65,000 votes. She also trailed in the Daund assembly segment by over 7,000 votes. While Kul got 91,171 votes, Supriya got 84,118 votes.
But the political equations have changed ever since, especially after the Eknath Shinde coup. Apart from Baramati, other five assembly segments have witnessed major changes in political combinations.
