Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: Here are the royal families to watch out for

Mumbai: With the conch shell blown, the royal families in Western Maharashtra are donning battle gears and are set to play an important role in the Vidhan Sabha polls.

For decades, the royal families have had a presence in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

The 2024 Lok Sabha polls have seen two members of royal families winning the elections in Western Maharashtra.

In Satara, Shrimant Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale of BJP defeated Shashikant Shinde of Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) while in Kolhapur, Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj of the Congress defeated Sanjay Mandlik of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Udayanraje Bhosale of Satara royal family is the 13th descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Shahu Maharaj of the Kolhapur royal family is the 12th descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and great-grandson of legendary social reformer Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj.

The Satara royal family traces its origin to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the elder son of Shivaji Maharaj, and the Kolhapur royal family traces its ancestry to Rajaram Maharaj, the younger son of Shivaji Maharaj.

Udayanraje Bhosale, who is one of the popular leaders of NDA and Shahu Maharaj, who is one of the respected figures of I.N.D.I.A, would be campaigning for the candidates of their respective groupings. Before joining BJP, he was part of the Sharad Pawar-led undivided NCP.

Shahu Maharaj’s son Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati has floated a political party, Maharashtra Swaraj Party two years after he started a social organisation Swarajya Sangathan, which would field candidates across the state.

Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, who is former President-nominated Rajya Sabha member, has floated Parivartan Mahashakti Bacchu Kadu, the founder of Prahar Janshakti and Raju Shetti of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and would emerge as a force.

Udayanraje’s first cousin Chhatrapati Shivendraraje Bhosale, a four-term MLA - thrice from NCP and once from BJP, would be nominated by the saffron party again from the Satara seat. Shivendraraje’s father, the late Shrimant Chhatrapati Aabhaysinhraje Bhosale, was a former Congress MLA having represented the seat multiple times.

The Kagal seat of Kolhapur would see a member of the royal family contesting elections. Raje Samarjeetsinh Ghatge, the Chairman of Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Cooperative Sugar Factory, has recently joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).

The Ghatge family controls several institutions in Kolhapur. Ghatge was once considered close to BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis. Samarjeetsinh would take on NCPs’s Hasan Mushrif, who is now with Ajit Pawar.

As far as the Phaltan royal family is concerned, which play a role in Satara politics, NCP leader Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar’s brother Sanjeev Raje Naik-Nimbalkar joined the NCP (SP). Ramraje is a former minister and ex-chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council.