Maharashtra elections: Konkan vote for change

On October 19, Shiv Sena man Arvind Bhosale finally slipped his feet into a pair of shoes after nine long years. As the election results declared that Congressman Narayan Rane had lost the prestigious Kudal seat to Sena’s Vaibhav Naik, Bhosale, a Sena leader from Worli, broke his nine year long vow to walk barefoot until Rane was defeated. In November 2005, when Rane had defeated the Sena after defecting to the Congress, Bhosale had vowed not to don footwear until the Congressman was defeated.

Bhosale celebrated his victory a week ago but the signs of a loss of ground for Rane had started showing way back in 2011 when locals strongly protested against the Jaitapur nuclear power project and objected to Rane’s support to the controversial project. The Congress’ decision to deploy then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to hold public hearings didn’t help the cause either. Angry locals and anti-Jaitapur power plant activists accused the Congress of force and strong arm tactics to win support. The protests even led to a villagers being killed in police firing which sparked unrest and further alienated Rane, the Congress’s face in Konkan, from the locals.

For years, locals in Konkan have vehemently opposed the power project fearing environmental pollution and a loss of livelihood if the waters get polluted. Fishing is a key occupation and source of livelihood in the region. Land was also being acquired from villagers for the project forcing locals to look for other employment opportunities, another factor that turned people against the project.

Another controversial stand that reportedly turned people away from the Congress is the rampant mining activity in Dodamarg. In 2013, a report by a high-level working group submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) dropped Dodamarg from the list of Ecologically Sensitive Areas and allowed mining in the area. The committee was appointed by the government to study the recommendations of an earlier report prepared by Pune ecologist Madhav Gadgil. The 2011 Gadgil report had recommended a ban on mining and construction along the entire Western Ghats. It also placed Dodamarg in a list of ecologically sensitive areas where mining was prohibited. The reversal of the earlier decision irked the locals who could see hillocks and forests in the area being destroyed.

With Vaibhav Naik defeating Rane by over 9,000 votes, locals are eagerly expecting more support in their agitation against the nuclear power plant. The Shiv Sena has backed the people’s movement for the past few years, accusing the Congress regime of using force against the villagers. During the recent election campaign, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had reiterated his opposition to the proposed 9,900-MW nuclear power plant and had even challenged supporters of the project to “take it to Gujarat.” “The Sena will always think of the betterment of Konkan,” Thackeray had said. Locals of Sindhudurg are waiting to see if things actually change for them after having voted out the Congress.