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Articles by Nitin BirmalSubscribe to Nitin Birmal

BJP Replaces the Congress in Maharashtra

Vol. 54, Issue No. 32, 10 Aug, 2019
Rajeshwari Deshpande, Nitin Birmal

Long known for its Congress system, Maharashtra is transiting into a new party system under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The second consecutive victory for the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 attributes a leading role to the BJP in the politics of the state. With the help of the National Election Studies 2019 data, this article tries to decipher the aspects of the still unfolding political dominance of the BJP and comments on the prospects of the state politics in the context of upcoming state assembly elections.

More on Maratha Politics

Vol. 50, Issue No. 11, 14 Mar, 2015
Jayant Lele, Nitin Birmal

A brief look at the history of Congress-Maratha dominance in Maharashtra politics, in response to Suhas Palshikar's "Farewell to Maratha Politics? Assembly Election in Maharashtra"(EPW, 1 November 2014).

Corrections

Vol. 44, Issue No. 50, 12 Dec, 2009
Nitin Birmal, Rajeshwari Deshpande, Suhas Palshikar

There were two factual errors in the piece “Maharashtra Polls: Continuity amidst Social Volatility” (EPW, 28 November) which we wish to correct:

Maharashtra Polls: Continuity amidst Social Volatility

Vol. 44, Issue No. 48, 28 Nov, 2009
Nitin Birmal, Rajeshwari Deshpande, Suhas Palshikar

The outcome of the Maharashtra assembly elections of 2009 cannot be associated with any particular moment in the history of the state's politics; nor can it be attributed to the organisational prowess of the ruling alliance. The second consecutive electoral victory of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance is an outcome of four factors: the overall favourable political atmosphere created by the Congress' performance nationally in the Lok Sabha elections, the utter ineffectiveness of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena combine coupled with their internal party factionalism, the rise of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in urban constituencies, and a perception that the state government had not done a bad job.

Maharashtra: Congress-NCP Manages Victory

Vol. 44, Issue No. 39, 26 Sep, 2009
Nitin Birmal, Rajeshwari Deshpande

A changing party system, fragmentation of social blocs, arrival of caste-based identity politics and material frustrations leading to the formation of several rebel groups within the various political parties - all these helped the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine record a default win in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. This was achieved despite a mixed opinion on the state government's track record. The alliance has its task cut out for the upcoming assembly elections in the state and no longer can traditional bases of support be counted upon, especially by the Congress Party.

Maharashtra : Towards a New Party System

Vol. 39, Issue No. 51, 18 Dec, 2004
Nitin Birmal, Suhas Palshikar

Maharashtra went to the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in quick succession giving us the rare opportunity to compare changes or continuities in the public mood over a period of six months. If the Lok Sabha elections underscored the inevitability of coalition politics in the state, the assembly polls opened up a multi-level competition across regions and among different social sections. The present indeterminacy of the social bases of parties is an indication of this transformation of the party system in the state.

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