Nagpur: The dynamic political environment in the state has brought new complexities to several assembly seats. More than 10 seats in Vidarbha are currently in a state of flux, making them hotly contested areas for the upcoming elections. Both the BJP and Congress face significant challenges, and smaller parties in major alliances are also feeling the pressure. Key constituencies under scrutiny include Umred, Kamthi, Saoner in Nagpur district, and Gondia, Sakoli, Chandrapur, and Amravati in the wider Vidarbha region.
Key Seats Under Focus
Nagpur district holds 12 assembly seats, with Congress winning 2 out of the 6 urban and 2 out of the 6 rural seats in the last elections. Presently, both rural Congress seats are vacant. Congress MLA from Umred, Raju Parwe, resigned and joined the Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction. Meanwhile, Saoner’s Sunil Kedar’s assembly membership has been revoked.
In Umred, a significant challenge has emerged regarding the selection of a candidate within the Mahayuti alliance. Previously, Raju Parwe defeated BJP’s two-time MLA Sudhir Parwe. This time, BJP wants to field Sudhir, while Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction supports Raju. In Savner, Congress faces the challenge of finding a strong candidate to replace Sunil Kedar, who held the seat for two decades and maintained a dominant influence. BJP’s former MLA Ashish Deshmukh has already started protests against Kedar, indicating his election readiness.
In Katol, former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and his son Salil Deshmukh are expected to be candidates from Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction. The Deshmukh family’s opposition to Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has drawn national attention, making it a priority for the Mahayuti to defeat them. BJP state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who missed a party candidacy in 2019, is preparing to contest from Kamthi, which could pose challenges for current BJP MLA Tekchand Savarkar.
Other Notable Seats
In Amravati, Congress has found MLA Sulbha Khodke guilty of cross-voting in the Legislative Council elections, and she is likely to be denied a ticket. She might join Ajit Pawar’s NCP, potentially facing Congress leader Sunil Deshmukh. In Chandrapur, independent MLA Kishore Jorgewar, who defeated BJP’s Nana Shamkule, might become the Mahayuti candidate, complicating BJP’s position.
In Sakoli, BJP is searching for a new face to contest against Congress state president Nana Patole, as their previous candidate, Parinay Fuke, was recently elected to the Legislative Council. In Gondia, three-time Congress MLA Gopal Agrawal, who contested on a BJP ticket in 2019 and lost to independent MLA Vinod Agrawal, has rejoined BJP, causing potential candidate selection issues for the party.
