At the outset, let me thank BharGo for giving me a chance to contribute to this wonderful blog. It will be my earnest attempt to help you understand the power shifts in Maharashtra Politics – some gradual and some very dramatic.
The MahaPol Powerlist ranking will take into consideration five key parameters for evaluation. Each of these parameters has sub-elements which contribute to the overall ranking. They are as follows -
1. Electoral clout
........a. Number of elected representatives of his/ her– MPs and MLAs
........b. % of vote in the last elections that his/ her party was able to garner
2. Clout within the Party
........a. His/ her Relationship with the Party Top boss (in case the person is not heading the party)
........b. His/ her say in the party decision making process
........c. His/ her base in the party – especially grassroot level
3. Authority
........a. Whether his party is in power in the state
........b. The portfolio that he handles as a minister
........c. Number of local bodies (Municipalities, Zilla Parishads, Gram Panchayats etc) where his party is in power
4. Social Clout
........a. Major Cooperatives (Including APMCs) under control of his party
........b. Support of Lobbies – Sugar, Workers unions, Businessmen etc
........c. Organisational base – Ability to mobilize masses irrespective of the party
........d. Intelligentsia support – Having favourable relationship with intellectuals from different fields like arts, social service etc
........e. His/ Her Caste – Being a Maratha has an added advantage in large parts of the state.
........f. Media Relationship – Does the politician have favourable relationship with TV and Press journalists? Does he have news value?
........g. Public Image – public perception in the minds of voters in Maharashtra
........h. Nuisance Value – Higher the nuisance value higher is the importance attached
........i. Money Power – Ability to mobilize funds for the party
........j. National Clout – Does the politician have a clout at national level?
5. Personal Capability
........a. Intellectual prowess
........b. Administrative capability
........c. Global perspective on issues
Some of the parameters are quantitative and some are qualitative and hence no score will be given to each politician. MahaPol will just publish relative ranking.
So jump on to the MahaPol Express and enjoy the ride!
Your list looks good :)Especially #4 (though I think c is out of place)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your ranking...
On second thoughts, what is very interesting is that you seem to have kept caste out of the ranking - or religion for that matter.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would have liked to see a "Development track record" or a "achievement list" of some sort - so that people who see this list can take an informed decision...
#4C is the inherent ability of the person to mobilise masses... Example Narayan Rane can easily have a rally of 20K people in any corner of Maharashtra irrespective of the party he is in... this is a very important aspect of power.
ReplyDeleteCaste is an important aspect in Maharashtra as Marathas with their 40% votes dominate the politics totally! "A Maratha only votes for a Maratha". Religion does not make much impact in Maharashtra politics.