The five districts of Amravati that form the cotton belt of Vidarbha region gave the BJP its numerical might in the 2014 assembly; this time rebels make contest closer
State Congress working president Yashomati Thakur, who is running for a third term from Teosa, with daughter Akanksha
The five districts of Amravati revenue division that form Vidarbha's cotton belt, which gave the Bharatiya Janata Party, then fighting alone, an upper hand in 2014, is set for some fierce battles this time. The Congress candidates are competitive, and then there are rebels from the BJP and Sena who are looking to spoil the chances of the alliance candidates.
Five years ago, while the BJP won 18 of the 30 seats in this region, the Congress did manage to save face, winning five. These five seats provide Congress a strong hope this time. The party predicts upsets wherever it is in direct fight with BJP, and hopes for smooth sailing against Sena in constituencies it has held for 10 or more years. On the other hand, a confident BJP has re-nominated sitting ministers and MLAs barring a few seats in Yavatmal. The BJP's main concern, however, is to combine with the Sena and retain the seats it had won alone in 2014. In May's parliamentary elections, the saffron alliance could not sweep the region because the Sena lost Amravati to an independent backed by the Congress and NCP, though it won two other seats. BJP won Akola with a handsome margin in a contest that Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar had made interesting.
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BJP's Pratap Adsad is fighting against the Congress MLA who has been there for three terms in Dhamangaon
Muslims unite in Akola
The Muslim community in Akola West is determined not to split their votes. They did not allow any other party except the Congress (Sajid Khan) to field a Muslim. The NCP ceded this seat to the Congress and took Balapur, where the VBA has its only sitting MLA. But VBA has dropped incumbent Baliram Siraskar and nominated a new face, Dhairyavardhan Pundkar, who has vowed to retain the seat. Pundkar faces NCP's Sangram Gawande and Sena's Nitin Deshmukh. Back in Akola, Fattekhan Gudan Khan, a small time dairy farmer who has his tabela in Faiz Pura, welcomed the arrangement. "We couldn't get a Muslim elected to the Lok Sabha because there were many from the community in the contest. This time we have just one option Sajid Khan of the Congress against Lalaji (BJP's Gowardhan Sharma)," he said. Iqbal Khan, a local resident, said the community was not opposed to Sharma, who was "a very good person, but bad leader".
"We are unhappy over Lalaji's inaction in bringing development to our area. Lalaji has been our MLA for 25 years but has ignored our locality," said Khan. Iqbal said they would have been happier had the VBA not fielded former mayor Madan Bhargad in the contest. "Even AIMIM withdrew from the race and all others who were interested in contesting decided to support the Muslim candidate, but the VBA has chosen to split secular votes. We don't know why." In Akola (East), BJP's sitting MLA Randheer Savarkar faces VBA's former MLA Haridas Bhade, who had lost by just 2,500 votes in 2014. In Akot constituency, BJP legislator Prakash Bharsakale is troubled by a Sena rebel Anil Gawande.
Congress MLA from Dhamangaon constituency, Virendra Jagtap. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
Many villages had barred Bharsakale because he had not opposed the move to reserve dam water for drinking water supply in Akola city. Meanwhile, in Murtizapur, BJP's Harish Pimple is dealing with internal opposition. Little wonder then that PM Narendra Modi addressed a public rally here to mobilise support for his candidates in the region. Congress's sitting MLAs Harshvardhan Sapkal (Buldhana) and Rahul Bondre (Chikhli) are expected to find the fight harder this time. Sapkal faces Sena's Sanjay Gaikwad and Bondre, who got a ticket even while he was prepared to go to the BJP, has a young woman candidate Shweta Mahale (BJP) challenging his return to the Assembly.
Women power in Amravati
In Amravati district, where Congress has two long-term MLAs — Virendra Jagtap (three terms) and state working president Yashomati Thakur (two terms) — three women candidates (including Thakur) have made the contests interesting. Congress has pitted ex-MLA Sulbha Khodke against BJP's sitting MLA Dr Sunil Deshmukh from Amravati City. Congress's ex-MLA and former president Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Shekhawat has been missing from the political scene. When Deshmukh, then a Congress minister, was sidelined for Shekhawat, he had rebelled and almost beat the Congress candidate in 2009. BJP made Deshmukh its candidate in 2014 for wresting the seat from the Congress. Khodke, NCP's former MLA from Badnera, was loaned to the Congress by NCP to ensure Deshmukh's defeat.
State Congress working president Yashomati Thakur, with her mother Pushpamala
Sena's Preeti Band, the widow of former Sena MLA Sanjay Band, is against independent MLA Ravi Rana in Badnera. Band is expected to ride on the sympathy she is getting from the voters following the untimely death of her people-friendly husband. Congress state working president Thakur has Sena's Rajesh Wankhede as a prime opponent. Agriculture minister Anil Bonde takes on the public-funded Devendra Bhuyar of farmer's outfit Swabhimani Paksha, also a partner in the Congress-NCP's greater alliance. Thakur said the Congress would gain handsomely in Amravati division. "We are fighting a public battle. People have raised R50 lakh for Bhuyar for enabling him to tame the agriculture minister," she said.
In Dhamangaon Railway, Jagtap faces anti-incumbency and BJP's young face Pratap Adsad. While Jagtap tells voters about his work in 15 years, Adsad questions the opponent's tenure. "What has he done in 15 years? The constituency that connects three districts with Amravati has never been so good. The BJP government brought things that the Congress couldn't in 10 years. People want their MLA to be from a ruling party and a young one like me," said Adsad, 35, whose family has strong RSS roots. His MLC father Arun has been contesting from here in the past 35 years, but won only twice. He lost the 2014 polls by just 974 votes.
Construction of the Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg near Butibori village
Unpredictable Yavatmal
The BJP has five of seven seats in Yavatmal district, with the NCP and Sena holding one each. Rebels in all major parties have made the outcome unpredictable. Major rebellion is within the ruling combine. In Digras, BJP rebel Sanjay Deshmukh goes against Sena minister of state Sanjay Rathod. The NCP has a weak candidate in Tarik Lokhandwala. In Yavatmal constituency, the BJP's minister of state Madan Yerawar has two formidable opponents — Balasaheb Mangrulkar (Congress) and Santosh Dhawale (Sena rebel).
If the saffron votes split between Yerawar and Dhawale then the Congress would surge ahead. In Wani, Sena's rebel Vishwas Nandekar is expected to queer the pitch for BJP's Sanjiv Reddy Bodkurwar. Congress ex-MLA Wamanrao Kasawar, VBA's Mahendra Lodha and MNS's Raju Umbakar have created a problem of plenty for Wani voters. Arni's sitting MLA Raju Todsam was denied a BJP ticket because of a controversy and ex-MLA Sandip Dhurve was made the official nominee. Todsad rebelled, but hasn't really changed the equation of a direct contest between Congress's former senior minister Shivajirao Moghe and Dhurve, who had beaten Moghe in the past.
The BJP and Sena's tussle continues in Umarkhed, where Sena rebel Vishwanath Winkhare is out to split the alliance vote that should go to BJP's Nanmdev Sasane, whose prime target is Vijay Khadse (Congress). A section of BJP supporters is upset a sitting MLA Rajendra Najardhane was denied ticket. In Pusad, former the family members of ex-CMs Vasantrao Naik and Sudhakarrao Naik have locked horns. The Banjara community dominated segment had elected NCP's only legislator from Vidarbha, Manohar Naik in 2014. Manohar's son Indranil is party candidate this election. His cousin Nilay is a BJP candidate. In Ralegaon, a fight between tribal development minister Ashok Uke (BJP) and former minister Vasant Purke (Congress) has become interesting thanks to rebels from the ruling parties.
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