The spectre of the Maratha quota agitation hovers over several electoral battles as 11 key seats in Maharashtra go to polls in phase four of the general election on May 13.
The seats that are located in the State’s arid, economically backward Marathwada region, the prosperous western part and north Maharashtra, will also feel the effect of the splits in the Shiv Sena (June 2022) and the Nationalist Congress Party (July 2023) as the Pawar family tussle between Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit Pawar plays out by proxy in these seats.
However, the shadow of the Maratha quota agitation looms large over the constituencies of Beed, Jalna and Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) where the contests are expected to go down to the wire.
