Chhatrapati Prince opts out of Maharashtra Lok Sabha race in favour of 'revered' father

Mumbai: In a ‘royal’ gesture, Yuvraj (Prince) Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati on Wednesday decided to bow out of the Lok Sabha election race from the erstwhile kingdom of Kolhapur in favour of his father, Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj.

A former President-nominated Rajya Sabha member, Yuvraj Sambhajiraje is the 13th direct descendent of the legendary Maratha warrior king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The development came as it became obvious that his father Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, one of the most respected figures in the state, would be the combined Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate from the prestigious Kolhapur seat.

“The moment it was decided that my father would contest the elections, I decided not to contest the polls. I was also keen to contest from places like Kolhapur or Nashik. Now, we will give our 1,000 per cent for my father’s candidature,” Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati said on Wednesday afternoon.

He added: “My father is a revered personality for me… He has expressed his desire to contest the Lok Sabha elections. Even the people want him to contest. Hence, I will not be a candidate.”

To a question, he said that “there is a general public consensus that my father should contest”. Both the royal father and son have been close to the cause of Marathas' welfare, and in October 2023, Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj personally went to meet the agitating Shivba Sanghatana leader, Manoj Jarange-Patil.

“Accordingly, we shall also support the Maharaj (father) till the finishing point. Me and my brother Malojiraje Chhatrapati shall be working for him along with others,” said Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati.

Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj (76) is the grandson of the illustrious social reformer and democrat, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (June 1874-May 1922), with whom the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar, had worked for a few years.

Though an official announcement is expected, the MVA allies -- Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) -- have declared their support to the candidature of Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj, but it remains to be seen on which party's ticket he will contest the polls.

With this latest political twist, the politics of Kolhapur has become interesting as the entire MVA, and the Chhatrapati’s clan after the Yuvraj’s suo motu withdrawal, has thrown its weight behind Shrimant Shahu Chhatrapati Maharaj.

Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati, who was a Rajya Sabha member (2016-2022) nominated by then President Pranab Mukherjee, had formed the Swarajya Sangathan and toured the state extensively.

In 2017, he was appointed the Chairman of the Raigad Development Authority, which is overseeing the work of revamping the Raigad Fort, the hills, and the villages at the base.

A man close to the masses, Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati can be regularly seen interacting with RDA officials, engineers, and workers on the ramparts of the Raigad Fort. He was once seen savouring tea at a roadside stall, endearing him to the people.

Interestingly, in June 2022, the then MVA Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had invited Yuvraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati to join his party and contest the Rajya Sabha polls, a proposal he had turned down politely.