Kolhapur: In the heart of Kolhapur city stands the new palace of Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj. Crafted from polished black stone, the structure is a tourist attraction, hosting a museum on its ground floor that showcases the history and items associated with the Kolhapur royal family. Within the regal confines of this palace resides Shahu Chhatrapati, popularly known as Shahu Maharaj, the descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The royal, however, has decided to step out of his palace with an agenda — “to save democracy”.
He’s the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance’s candidate for Kolhapur seat, contesting on a Congress ticket.
On Saturday, though, dressed in plain white kurta and pajama, hands folded and a serene smile on his face, the 76-year-old was just another politician, braving the blazing sun as he campaigned for the Lok Sabha elections — greeting the waiting people of the villages he passed, waving at them as they gathered to catch a glimpse of “their maharaja”.
There was no security detail trailing his convoy, which consisted of just three cars.
“I feel this is time to step up and save democracy, and so I decided to contest the elections. Plus, I did not like what happened in Maharashtra, with the parties getting split,” Shahu Chhatrapati told ThePrint. “The anti-defection laws need to be stronger. I feel something needs to be done about it.”
He will face sitting MP Sanjay Mandlik from Shinde’s Shiv Sena, who recently courted controversy after alleging that Shahu Chhatrapati was not the “real heir” to the royal seat and claimed that he was adopted.
However, Satej (Bunty) Patil, MLC and district Congress president told ThePrint that “such things will not be tolerated by people. And it is condemnable what Mandlik said”.
ThePrint reached Mandlik via calls. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Speaking at a rally in Kolhapur Saturday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said, “Bow and arrow will destroy the hand (symbol of Congress). On 7 May, when Kolhapur will press the bow and arrow button, the Opposition’s horse carriage (referring to Shahu Maharaj’s royal lineage), will topple and the horses will run away.”
This is not the first time that Shahu Chhatrapati has expressed an interest in fighting elections. In 1998, he wanted to contest on a Shiv Sena ticket and was even present on the dais at a public meeting with Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray. He was denied a ticket at the time.
His son Sambhajiraje Bhosale, though, was an MP between 2016 and 2022 as a presidential nominee to the Rajya Sabha. For the June 2022 Rajya Sabha election, the undivided Shiv Sena wanted to give Sambhajiraje the Rajya Sabha ticket but he declined, instead deciding to fight as an Independent.
Since the split in Maharashtra parties, Sambhajiraje has been slamming the BJP for “eliminating the Opposition as a part of its divide and rule policy”. He was hopeful of getting a ticket in Kolhapur, but the MVA asked his father Shahu Maharaj instead. He is now actively campaigning for his father.
Another descendent of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Udayanraje Bhosale, is the BJP’s candidate from Satara. He was with the undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and, in 2019, had won Satara Lok Sabha seat as a candidate from the party, but switched to the BJP after polls. This necessitated a bypoll during which Udayanraje lost to Shriniwas Patil of the NCP.
On Saturday, the public meeting Shahu Chhatrapati was headed to was to be held at Chandgad village in Halkarni taluka. To get there, the convoy had to cross over to the Karnataka border, pass some villages, and then re-enter Maharashtra. The journey took three hours.
The villagers waited anxiously in 40 degrees Celsius heat to see him. “He is our Maharaj and I have come to see him. I do not have a problem waiting for him in this weather,” said Parvatibai, a farmer.
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Shahu Maharaj has ‘always stepped up when required’
In Chandgad, he received a traditional welcome with trumpets being blown and a song specially created for his campaign being played at full volume. He emerged from his convoy wearing the Congress scarf around his neck.
However, before he could deliver his speech, many local leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi talked to him about how sitting MP Mandlik “had not stepped foot in Chandgad” and how Shahu Chhatrapati, once elected, should take care of farmers and the issues plaguing the cashew economy in the region.
When he took the mic, though, his tone was soft and his words measured.
Without explicitly naming the Opposition or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “This is a fight between democracy and autocracy. We have to save our constitution. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took everyone along. There were people of different backgrounds, caste and creed that he supported. His was a reign of people. But today’s rulers are not taking everyone along. Our democracy is in danger.”
He also touched upon the issues of inflation, GST prices, as well as other promises in Congress’ manifesto.
What elicited the loudest cheers and claps was the promise of abolishing ‘Agniveer scheme’, as mentioned in the manifesto. Because of the presence of Maratha Light infantry, there are many army aspirants in Kolhapur.
He also promised people that if elected, “his doors will always be open for people”, while Bunty Patil assured people of Chandgad that Shahu Maharaj will have offices in every taluka of Kolhapur to ease accessibility.
Govind Patil, an 85-year-old Congress voter, was all smiles at seeing Shahu Chhatrapati and even requested the organisers to let him speak on stage for a moment.
Wearing a simple cotton half-sleeve kurta and shorts, the man slowly walked on to the stage and expressed his full support for Shahu Maharaj.
“I have been a Congress voter right from the beginning,” he told ThePrint. “I have campaigned for the Congress in the past by riding my bicycle across villages, but this time it won’t be possible because of my age. However, for Maharaj, I would still visit all the homes in my village and campaign for him.”
He said that he was convinced that Shahu Chhatrapati was the right candidate since the maharaj had visited the house of the octogenarian and shared a meal with him.
“His simplicity is what I like. He is not like Mandlik, whom we never saw visit our village, not even once. We trust Maharaj,” he said.
This simplicity and engagement with people are what make him popular, said Indrajit Sawant, a historian who specialises on the Kolhapur royal family.
“Over the past four decades or so, no programme in Kolhapur, irrespective of party lines, is complete without Shahu Maharaj. In the truest sense, he has been following the inclusivity values of Shrimant Shahu Maharaj. And there is no iota of royal attitude in him. He mixes with common people and is always available to them when they need him,” said Sawant.
Pratik Patil, a Congress worker closely following the campaign of Shahu Maharaj, said that he has been doing social work for a long time.
“People have known him and he has always stepped up whenever required, be it during Kolhapur floods or the communal tensions, which gripped the city last year. He stepped out of his palace and was among the first to take initiatives to stop the rioting. People have immense respect for him.”
By the time the public meeting ended, it was almost 3 pm. Shahu Maharaj’s convoy headed for lunch at a nearby non-AC restaurant where women welcomed him by applying a tika on his forehead and giving him a traditional Maharashtrian welcome.
After a short rest, he got ready to leave for his next stop — Ajara in Gadhinglaj, another 40 km from Chandgad. “I am getting used to it,” he said to ThePrint with a smile on his face. “This doesn’t tire me now.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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