Nanded: The upcoming Lok Sabha on April 26 in Nanded will prove once and for all whether it was Ashok Chavan who made it a Congress bastion for decades, or whether it was Congress that propelled Chavan’s political career so far.
The crossover of two-time chief minister Chavan to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently has made the electoral contest to Nanded interesting this time around. Under the changed political scenario, Chavan is working hard for the victory of sitting BJP MP Prataprao Chikhlikar – in fact, Chikhlikar defeated Chavan in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Nanded will vote on Friday, April 26, in the second phase. Chikhlikar will take on an old-time Congress man Vasant Chavan.
Congress workers in the constituency accuse Ashok Chavan of “betrayal” and vow to teach him a lesson. “Ashok Chavan has betrayed the Congress party and the people of Nanded. To save his property, Ashok Chavan surrendered to the central agencies of the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and joined the BJP. But the people of Nanded will answer him by voting on April 26.”
Nanded has always been a stronghold of the Congress, and it has given Maharashtra two chief ministers. Both of these chief ministers were from the Congress party and were father and son from the same family: Shankarao Chavan and Ashok Chavan. After he joined the BJP, Ashok Chavan was made a Rajya Sabha MP.
Also read: Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan Quits Congress, MLA’s Post
In the 2014 election, Ashok Chavan emerged victorious but faced defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The reason for his loss in 2019 was largely attributed to nearly 1.5 lakh votes polled by Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate Yashpal Bhinge, which indirectly helped Chikhlikar as the BJP candidate to secure a win.
This time around Ashok Chavan is campaigning for Chikhlikar’s re-election. While the Congress has fielded Vasant Chavan, Avinash Bhosikar has entered the fray on behalf of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. While the main fight is between Congress and the BJP, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, like the last time around, could tilt the result.
Vasant Chavan is a grassroots leader who rose through the political ladder from being a sarpanch to a member of the legislative assembly (MLA). He began his political career in the Nationalist Congress Party before shifting his loyalties to the Congress party. He is known for his remarkable public relations and is popular among Dalit and Muslim communities. Historically, the Muslim community in Nanded backed the Congress party.
Vasant Chavan. Photo: Facebook.
Speaking to The Wire, senior journalist Vinayak Ekbote from Nanded said Muslims could en bloc vote for the Congress this time around, unlike the last time when the community votes were split by All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) which was in the fray.
“Despite Ashok Chavan’s departure from the Congress in this election, the Congress’s biggest strength in Nanded remains the support of the Dalit and Muslim communities. In the 2019 elections, AIMIM- Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate garnered more than 1,50,000 votes, leading to the Congress’s defeat, said Ekbote, adding that there is no Modi wave this time around.
Further, Ekbote adds that it is important to see which side the Maratha community in Nanded leans towards because both Congress and BJP candidates are Marathas.
The Nanded Lok Sabha constituency consists of six assembly constituencies: Bhokar, Nanded North, Nanded South, Naigaon, Degalur, and Mukhed, encompassing both urban and rural areas.
Bhokar Assembly, which is Ashok Chavan’s home ground, is currently vacant as Ashok Chavan has become a Rajya Sabha MP. Nanded North Assembly is represented by Shiv Sena’s Shinde faction MLA Balaji Kalyankar.
Congress can certainly benefit from the presence of its MLAs in Nanded South and Degalur assembly constituencies. Naigaon is represented by BJP MLA Rajesh Pawar, while BJP’s Tushar Rathod is the MLA from Mukhed.
In the Nanded Lok Sabha seat, Congress and BJP have two MLAs each, and Shiv Sena’s Shinde group has one MLA. However, in these constituencies, especially among the farmers, the main reason for dissatisfaction with the BJP government is the failure to provide guaranteed prices for their crops. Soybean and cotton farmers are particularly upset with the BJP and the Modi government. Rising inflation and the imposition of GST in the agriculture sector have further fueled dissatisfaction among farmers.
A number of voters in the constituency have spoken out angrily against the BJP and the tactics it had deployed to split the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party.
Voters are also distraught over the lack of progress in terms of basic amenities in Nanded. “If we think about the city of Nanded in terms of development, there has not been as much progress whether it was during the time of Ashok Chavan or in the last five years of Prataprao Patil Chikhlikar as MP,” a voter said.
