Several high-profile constituencies will take the spotlight as Maharashtra heads to the polls on November 20, and Nagpur South West is certainly one to watch.
Located in the heart of Maharashtra, Nagpur South West is one of the six assembly segments under the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. The seat has gained prominence as the political bastion of Devendra Fadnavis, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the current Deputy Chief Minister.
Eying his sixth consecutive term, Fadnavis first secured a win from Nagpur West in 1999 when he defeated two-time MLA Vinod Gudhade Patil, who registered a win on the BJP ticket in 1990 and 1995, but later switched to the Congress. Vinod is the father of Prafulla Gudhade Patil.
The BJP leader emerged victorious in 2004 and later shifted to the Nagpur South West seat after the delimitation exercise. He has secured three consecutive wins in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
Fadnavis has consistently held sway over this constituency. In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, he secured a convincing victory as the BJP candidate, receiving 109,238 votes. His nearest rival, Ashish Deshmukh of the Congress, managed 59,893 votes, while Ravindra Paikaji Shende of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) trailed with 8,821 votes. Despite the clear majority, the BJP and Shiv Sena alliance couldn't form the government and fell apart over the issue of the Chief Minister's post.
A similar pattern unfolded in the 2014 elections, where Fadnavis triumphed with 113,918 votes. His closest competitor, Praful Gudhade Patil of the Congress, garnered 54,976 votes, while Dr Rajendra Shyamrao Padole of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) received 16,540 votes.
With a history of strong BJP dominance and Fadnavis’s enduring influence, Nagpur South West remains a key constituency to monitor in this election.
Polling Date
In Maharashtra, polling in all 288 seats, including Nagpur South West, is scheduled for November 20. The counting of votes is on November 23. The seat, this time, has more than four lakh voters.
Candidates' List
There are 12 candidates in the fray:
Devendra Fadnavis (BJP)
Prafulla Gudhade Patil (Congress)
Surendra Dongre (BSP)
Usha Dhok (Akhil Bhartiya Parivar Party)
Opul Tamgadge (Peoples Party of India (Democratic))
Advocate Pankaj Shambharkar (Bhim Sena)
Vinay Bhange (Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi)
Vinayak Avachat (Vikas India Party)
Nitin Gaikwad (Independent)
Advocate Mehmood Khan (Independent)
Vinod Meshram (Independent)
Sachin Wagnade (Independent)
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