NDA’s strong show in Vidarbha, Maharashtra gamechanger, after Lok Sabha blow

Shaking off its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, the BJP-led Mahayuti has taken a massive lead in the agrarian belt, shows very early trends. The Mahayuti is ahead in over 40 of the 62 Assembly seats in Vidarbha, which is home to a large chunk of both large- and small-scale farmers.
Vidarbha, which has the second-highest number of Assembly seats after western Maharashtra, holds the key to government formation. There is no doubt that the road to the Maharashtra throne goes through Vidarbha.
Despite being a BJP stronghold, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) sprung a surprise in the Lok Sabha polls, winning seven of 10 constituencies, with the Congress securing five of them. The Mahayuti won only three seats.
In the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP won 44 of the 62 seats in Vidarbha. The Congress won 10 seats. In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP saw its numbers dip, winning 29 seats, while the Congress bagged 15 seats in Vidarbha.
Vidarbha is home to prominent BJP leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Congress state chief Nana Patole. Fadnavis is contesting from the Nagpur South-West constituency, while Nana Patole is in the fray in Sakoli.
The BJP contested the highest number of seats (47) in the Vidarbha region.
Vidarbha, which has one-fifth of the state population, also has a significant population of Dalit, Maratha, Kunbi, and Muslim communities. The opposition MVA had raised issues like reservation, soybean prices and the MSP for crops to attack the ruling party during the poll campaign.
The opposition had also raised the high number of farmer suicides in the region to corner the Mahayuti government. According to data, Vidarbha recorded the highest number of farmer suicides in 2023, with 1,439 cases.