With the Maharashtra assembly polls approaching, political alignments in the state are changing rapidly. In Kolhapur, in a major setback for the BJP, Kagal royal Samarjeetsinh Ghatge has joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) in the presence of Sharad Pawar.
Ghatge wanted to contest on a BJP ticket from Kagal, which is currently held by Hasan Mushrif of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Since the general assumption is that parties in the ruling alliance will be allowed to hold seats on which they have MLAs, it was clear Ghatge would have had to give up his ambition for Mushrif. Assembly polls are likely to be held in October-November. The decision was fast-tracked after Ajit Pawar declared Mushrif as the candidate in August.
Who is Samarjeetsinh Ghatge?
Ghatge is the current chairman of Shri Chhatrapati Shahu Milk and Agro Producer Company. He is a chartered accountant by profession. He was born on January 19, 1983, to Raje Vikramsinh Ghatge.
It should be noted that the Ghatge family is the ancestral family of Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj. Shahu Maharaj was adopted by Queen Anandibai, widow of King Shivaji VI, of the princely state of Kolhapur.
Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj's brother, Shrimant Pirajirao Ghatge, also known as Bapusaheb Maharaj, was the ruler of Kagal Sansthan. His son and former ruler of Kagal, Jaisingrao Ghatge, was the grandfather of Samarjeetsinh Ghatge. His father, Raje Vikram Singh Ghatge, is a role model in the cooperative sector.
It should be noted that Ghatge lost the 2019 assembly polls by 28,133 votes. He is also the distant cousin of Bollywood actress Sagarika Ghatge.
Kagal numbers at glance
Kagal is an assembly constituency in Maharashtra. In 2019, this constituency was won by the Nationalist Congress Party. Kagal comes under Kolhapur district. In 2019, in the Kagal Assembly elections, NCP candidate Hasan Mushrif secured a victory with 116,436 votes, leading by 28,133 votes and achieving a 44.17% vote share. Independent candidate Samarjeetsinh Ghatge was the runner-up with 88,303 votes, capturing a 33.49% vote share, while Shiv Sena candidate Sanjay Anandrao Ghatage came in third with 55,657 votes, accounting for a 21.11% vote share.
