Maharashtra MLC Polls: Congress Beats BJP in Nagpur
The Maha Vikas Aghadi wins three of five seats, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance secures two, dealing a setback to the BJP in Nagpur.
- Congress defeats BJP in the Nagpur graduates’ constituency.
- MVA wins three of five Maharashtra MLC seats.
- NCP (SP) secures two seats, while Congress wins one.
- Opposition leaders criticise the BJP and renew calls for ballot-paper voting.
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 29th Oct: The Maharashtra MLC polls have delivered a setback to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nagpur, where Congress candidate Abhijeet Wanjari defeated BJP nominee Sudhakar Kohale. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won three of the five graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, while the ruling Mahayuti alliance secured two seats.
Wanjari, the sitting MLC, received 67,231 votes against Kohale’s 63,960, retaining the prestigious Nagpur seat for Congress. The result marks the second consecutive time Congress has defeated the BJP in Nagpur, home to the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The Congress had held the seat for 58 years before losing it to the BJP for the first time in 2020. Following his victory, Wanjari said his party’s strategy had helped it prevail, adding that ideas could prove more effective than strength.
Within the MVA, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) won two seats, while Congress secured one. The outcome has prompted Opposition leaders to criticise the BJP over what they described as arrogance and overconfidence.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshawardhan Sapkal said the results showed that the BJP could be defeated despite its organisational and financial strength. He also highlighted Congress’s win in Nagpur, associated with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
NCP (SP) leaders also questioned the BJP’s response to the results and renewed their demand for elections to be conducted using ballot papers. Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto referred to a post attributed to Fadnavis that was reportedly deleted from X, while party leaders Rohit Pawar and Crasto shared screenshots and criticised its tone.
Rohit Pawar said the Nagpur result carried a message for the BJP, noting that Fadnavis had personally focused on the constituency and sought to persuade rebel candidates to withdraw. He also criticised the reported deletion of the post.
The results have intensified political exchanges between the ruling alliance and the Opposition as Maharashtra’s parties assess the implications of the council elections.
