In 2019, he became the CPI(M)’s only MLA in the Maharashtra Assembly. Vinod Bhiva Nikole is now attempting to retain the Scheduled Tribe-reserved Dahanu constituency, this time with the official backing of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.

The 49-year-old Nikole, born to landless Adivasi labourers, had in his 2019 debut election campaign emphasised his humble beginnings – he was the poorest candidate in Maharashtra as per his poll affidavit, and owned neither a house nor a car. In a theme that has continued into his campaign for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls, Nikole is looking to convince Dahanu voters that he remains very much one of their own. His printed campaign material stresses how Nikole has taken to the streets for the rights of farmers and Adivasis, and raised questions in the Assembly too on their issues.

“I know many here will vote for me as a candidate of the CPI(M). Many others who may not necessarily agree with the party’s ideology will also vote for me, for who I am as an individual. In these past five years, I have remained available for all. In these parts, the struggle continues to be for basic amenities like electricity, water, ration, healthcare, schools,” Nikole said.

His campaign has largely been centred on a series of small-scale public meetings in villages of Dahanu, many without any fanfare or even a stage. CPI(M) Politburo leaders Brinda Karat and Ashok Dhawale, who is also the president of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), campaigned for Nikole last week. The CPI(M) is also contesting two other seats – Kalwan in Nashik district and Solapur City Central, where it is engaged in a friendly fight with MVA ally Congress.

In Dahanu, the CPI(M)’s hold is credited to the work done at the grassroots level by the party and affiliated organisations like the AIKS and Kashtakari Sanghatana, an NGO that works with tribal communities, over the years. The AIKS’s role in the 1975 Warli tribal revolt through its leaders Shamrao Parulekar and Godavari Parulekar helped lay the foundation for the Left. Many who attended Nikole’s public meetings said they would continue to vote for the CPI(M) given the party and its affiliates have stood by them on issues relating land and forest rights.

In a seat that has historically been dominated by the Congress, the CPI(M) has won here three times – in 1978, 2009 and 2019. In the 2019 Assembly elections, Nikole won his first election by about 4,700 votes to wrest the seat from the then incumbent BJP. At the time, he had been unofficially backed by the Congress and the then undivided NCP.

This year, as the official MVA candidate in Dahanu, Nikole faces competition from the BJP’s Vinod Medha. While Nikole is banking on his outreach efforts and the CPI(M)’s long-running hold in the seat, especially among the tribal communities including the Warlis, Medha has been handpicked to garner votes from his hometown in the Talasari taluka, which falls within the Dahanu constituency and where the CPI(M) has also traditionally held the panchayat samiti.

Located about 150km north of Mumbai, Dahanu lies close to the Gujarat border. While the BJP is considered to have more support in the Dahanu city area, the CPI(M) has more backing in the tribal-dominated areas, including the Talasari tehsil.

In the coastal parts of the constituency, the Vadhavan Port project in the neighbouring Palghar constituency has been a contentious issue for the fishing communities here. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has promised the MVA will cancel the project, for which the foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August, if it comes to power.

“This is not going to be an issue for voters. They know that the port will only create employment opportunities for the youth. People are also focusing on the schemes of this government. We have mainly focused on informing people about the ongoing schemes and the proposed ones. That alone will convince voters,” says Jagdish Rajput, former BJP corporator in Dahanu.

But Nikole says he is against such announcements of schemes, including those in the MVA manifesto. “There should be a promise of employment instead,” he says, adding that he is still opposed to the Vadhavan Port project and would rather welcome companies offering sustainable development for the region.