Neither the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nor its ideological affiliate, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has openly acknowledged it, but there was a perception that the RSS played a role in the summer’s Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP-led Mahayuti secured just 17 out of 48 seats in the state. However, the RSS was actively involved in the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the BJP-led alliance currently leads in 224 of the state’s 288 constituencies.
Prominent role in Maharashtra elections campaign
Dilip Deodhar, a former senior swayamsevak and long-time RSS observer, explained that following the BJP’s disappointing performance in the June Lok Sabha elections, the RSS decided to take a more prominent role in the Maharashtra assembly elections campaign. Atul Limaye, a former chief of the RSS’s western region and now its joint general secretary, was appointed to lead this effort. Limaye as reported by HT worked closely with key BJP figures, including Union minister Nitin Gadkari and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, as well as BJP leaders from Delhi, notably BL Santosh, the national organizing secretary, and Arun Kumar, the RSS-BJP coordinator.
The level of effort by the RSS during this election cycle was unprecedented, surpassing even the mobilization seen in the 1977 elections post-Emergency and the 2014 campaign that helped bring Narendra Modi to power. “This election was practically fought by the RSS, not just the BJP,” he asserted as quoted by HT.
Door-to-door campaigning by RSS
Senior RSS leaders explained that alongside door-to-door campaigning, the RSS engaged with leaders from smaller communities within the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), including the Teli, Mali, Sutar, and Banjara groups. These leaders were persuaded that only the BJP could offer them adequate representation and welfare benefits in politics. Limaye held numerous meetings with these leaders, helping foster a favorable environment among micro-OBCs, despite efforts by Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil to turn the influential agrarian Maratha community against the BJP.
It is important to note that the BJP did not overlook the Marathas. Limaye and his team also reached out to Maratha leaders, assuring them that the BJP genuinely supported Maratha reservations without categorizing them as OBCs. The BJP promised to take the matter to the Supreme Court and work with the Modi government to address concerns raised by Jarange-Patil..
Dharmayuddha narrative by RSS
RSS analysts pointed out the RSS’s role in shaping the “Dharmayuddha” (holy war) narrative, which was advanced by Fadnavis in response to Moulana Sajjad Nomani, spokesperson for the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, who called for a “vote jihad” among Muslims in Maharashtra.
Observers note that this narrative played a key role in consolidating Hindu votes, helping to win back a significant portion of the Hindu electorate that had drifted from the BJP after Rahul Gandhi’s push for a caste census in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. They explain that Gandhi’s focus on caste dynamics resonated with backward classes seeking greater representation, challenging the BJP’s traditional base. By engaging OBC and particularly micro-OBC voters, the RSS successfully consolidated Hindu votes in favor of the BJP during this election.
Read More: Factors That Helped Mahayuti In Maharashtra Elections
