Why BMC, Zilla Parishad polls have turned into one big dynastic joke in Maharashtra

Be it the Assembly elections or the local body polls, political families want every key post to go to their kin.

Regardless of the clamour over dynastic politics, the rules of the game change when it's your family.

The municipal and Zilla Parishad polls in Maharashtra are no exception - yet, what is most surprising is that politically-eminent families of the Pawars and the Deshmukhs too are a party to this trend.

Dhiraj Vilasrao Deshmukh, the youngest son of former Maharashtra chief minister, late Vilasrao Deshmukh, is in the fray for the Latur Zilla Parishad elections.

Whilst he followed in his father's footsteps by entering politics with the Zilla Parishad polls from Latur, his elder brother Amit is already is an MLA from Latur.

Maratha strongman and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar too could not avoid the temptation of bringing the third generation of his family into the fray.

Pawar, who knows well that it's always better to start at the grassroots, has fielded his brother's grandson Rohit Pawar from Baramati.

Many urban, suave faces from Maharashtra's top political families are making their electoral debut this season. Following in his boss' footsteps, NCP state chief, Sunil Tatkare has ensure his daughter Aditi debuts in the Zilla Parishad polls.

As if that wasn't enough dynastic politics for one election, Congress leader and former minister Harshawardhan Patil has fielded his 75-year-old mother from his stronghold Indapur.

Patil has been a minister for almost two decades, yet he wants the power centre to remain inside his home, even if it means fielding his elderly parent.

The municipal polls, including the crucial BMC elections, are witnessing a deluge of close relatives with party tickets.

Look who's leading the charts

While it is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has always criticised the dynastic politics practised by the Congress, the party with a "difference" is no different when it comes to leaders fielding able candidates. Kirit Somaiya, a BJP strongman, has roped in son Neil for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

Sample the great Maharashtrian dynastic debut:

• At least 83 candidates in the fray for the 227 seats in the Mumbai municipality polls are family members of established politicians.
• In Mumbai, the Shiv Sena has roped in 24 candidates from political families, followed by BJP's 21, Congress' 18 and NCP's 16.

All in the family

• Maharashtra BJP chief and former Union minister Raosaheb Danve's daughter Asha Pande Danve is contesting the ZP elections from his home district, Jalna.
• BJP minister Babanrao Lonikar's son Rahul is contesting from Parbhani.
• Another BJP Minister Vidya Thakur's son is contesting in Mumbai.

How can the Sena be left behind?

• Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South-Central, Rahul Shewale, had managed to get tickets for wife Kamini and sister-in-law Vaishali.
• Sena strongman and PWD minister Eknath Shinde has got a ticket for his brother in Thane. His son Shrikant is an MP.
• Sena minister Arjun Khotkar's brother is contesting from Jalna.
• Apart from these, top leaders and MLAs like Sada Sarvankar, Tukaram Kate and Pratap Sarnaik from Shiv Sena, Raj Purohit, Amit Satam and Bharati Lavhekar from BJP, Nawab Malik from NCP and Aslam Shaikh from the Congress have ensured their close relatives get tickets.

While it's the party workers who toil hard on the ground, political bigwigs often manage to get their kin an easy ticket in the name of elective merit.

The ZP and municipal polls, considered Maharashtra's mini-Assembly, are following the shallow trend. However, history is witness that nepotism has also led to large-scale rebellion in almost every party.