<p>Nagpur: A large number of direct Congress versus BJP contests are being witnessed in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, which goes to polls in the first two phases of the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lok-sabha-elections-2024">2024 Lok Sabha elections</a>. </p><p>The fate of several political bigwigs including Nitin Gadkari, the Road Transport and Highways minister in the Narendra Modi government, Prakash Ambedkar and Anandraj Ambedkar, the grandsons of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is a senior minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti government, and actor-turned-politician Navneet Rana will be decided in these first two phases. </p><p>Once a bastion of the Congress, the Vidarbha region is now under the saffron alliance's control. </p><p>Among the 10 seats, there is a direct contest between BJP and Congress in five places, two fights between Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT), one fight each between Shiv Sena and Congress, and BJP and NCP (SP), and one involving BJP, Congress and Prahar Janshakti Party.</p><p>Spread across 11 districts, the Vidarbha region has 10 Lok Sabha seats.</p><p>While Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondiya and Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) will go to polls on April 19 in Phase-1, Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Yavatmal-Washim and Wardha will go to polls on April 26 in Phase-2.</p> .Distracted by own horse-trading agendas, BJP neglected to serve Maharashtra people: Congress.<p><strong>Nagpur</strong> </p><p>In Nagpur, the geographical centre of India, two-time sitting MP Nitin Gadkari is pitted against Congress MLA Vikas Thakre, who is an MLA from Nagpur West and a former Mayor and has the backing of Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi - making the contest interesting. </p><p>Gadkari, who is one of the best performers in the Narendra Modi-government, is considered close to RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat. Nagpur is also the hometown of BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. </p> .<p><strong>Chandrapur</strong> </p><p>In Chandrapur, the city of black gold, BJP’s six-time MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar is taking on Congress’s Pratibha Dhanorkar, the MLA from Warora. Dhanorkar has been fielded with the responsibility of defending the long-held Congress seat in the state that her late husband Balu Dhanorkar represented. </p><p>After last time, when veteran BJP leader Hansraj Ahir lost, the party nominated Mungantiwar, who is the state Forest Minister. At one point of time, he was one of the CM aspirants in the state.</p> .<p><strong>Amravati (SC)</strong></p><p>Amravati is witnessing the most interesting contest. Actor-turned-politician Navneet Rana, who won the 2019 polls as an Independent with NCP support, has been fielded as the BJP candidate. </p><p>The BJP denied the seat to Shiv Sena irking Shinde’s aide Anand Adsul, who had represented the seat five times. Adsul and his son Abhijeet Adsul may support candidates opposing her. </p><p>Meanwhile Congress has fielded Balwant Wankhede, the Daryapur MLA. On the other hand, Bachchu Kadu, who is the founder of the Prahar Janshakti Party and part of the BJP-led coalition has fielded Dinesh Boob for the seat. </p><p>Anandraj Ambedkar, the head of Republican Sena too has filed papers and his brother Prakash Ambedkar of VBA has not given a candidate.</p> .<p><strong>Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST)</strong></p><p>In this seat, which includes large stretches of Naxal area and is part of Red Corridor, BJP is making the third attempt at a win. </p><p>The saffron party has fielded a two-time sitting MP and two-time MLA while the Congress candidate is Dr Namdev Kirsan, a former Maharashtra government employee who had not been tested in local politics. </p><p>The Chimur seat in Vidhan Sabha is represented by Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar and Dr Kirsan is close to him.</p> .<p><strong>Bhandara-Gondiya</strong></p><p>In Bhandara Gondiya, Sunil Mendhe, the sitting BJP MP with a non-controversial image is taking on Dr Prashant Padole of the Congress, who has goodwill in the region. </p><p>A first-timer, he is a distant relative of Nana Patole and got the ticket after the state Congress chief refused to enter the fray. One of the major factors at play here would be NCP Working President Praful Patel and his political opposition to Patole. </p> .<p><strong>Ramtek (SC)</strong> </p><p>This is a seat, which former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had represented in 1984 and 1989. For the last two terms, the seat was represented by Krupal Tumhane, however, BJP opposed his name for the contest. </p><p>Former Congress MLA from Umred, who resigned to join Shiv Sena, was fielded. Pitted against him is Shyam Barve, a long-time Congress worker, who emerged in the scene becoming the official candidate after his wife Rashmi Barve’s caste certificate was rejected. The Barve couple are close to Congress stalwart Sunil Kedar. </p> .<p><strong>Wardha</strong></p><p>A prestigious seat known for its relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, will perhaps for the first time see Congress not contesting. </p><p>The BJP has nominated sitting MP Ramdas Tadas for the third time. On the other hand, a two-time former Congress MLA from Arvi in Wardha district, Amar Kale, has joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) to become the party's candidate. A young face, he is a direct choice of Pawar.</p> .<p><strong>Buldhana</strong></p><p>Here, Shiv Sena’s Prataprao Jadhav would take on Prof Narendra Khedekar of Shiv Sena (UBT) - in what would be a close call. Having switched over to Shinde's faction, Jadhav is attempting a fourth term. Farmers' leader Ravikant Tupkar - who was once associated with Raju Shetti - too has entered the fray. </p> .<p><strong>Akola</strong> </p><p>A two-time Lok Sabha MP and one-term Rajya Sabha member, Prakash Ambedkar, is making yet another attempt in the polls. Against him is Anup Dhotre, the son of four-time sitting BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre and Dr Abhay Patil of the Congress, who is the party’s general secretary and an orthopaedic surgeon. </p> .<p><strong>Yavatmal-Washim</strong> </p><p>Because of BJP’s opposition to her and anti-incumbency, five-time Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali had to be dropped, a development that has not gone down well in the Shinde-led party. </p><p>Instead, the Shiv Sena fielded Rajashree Patil, the wife of sitting Hingoli MP Hemant Patil, who was dropped from the list. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Sanjay Deshmukh. </p>
<p>Nagpur: A large number of direct Congress versus BJP contests are being witnessed in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, which goes to polls in the first two phases of the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/lok-sabha-elections-2024">2024 Lok Sabha elections</a>. </p><p>The fate of several political bigwigs including Nitin Gadkari, the Road Transport and Highways minister in the Narendra Modi government, Prakash Ambedkar and Anandraj Ambedkar, the grandsons of Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, who is a senior minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti government, and actor-turned-politician Navneet Rana will be decided in these first two phases. </p><p>Once a bastion of the Congress, the Vidarbha region is now under the saffron alliance's control. </p><p>Among the 10 seats, there is a direct contest between BJP and Congress in five places, two fights between Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT), one fight each between Shiv Sena and Congress, and BJP and NCP (SP), and one involving BJP, Congress and Prahar Janshakti Party.</p><p>Spread across 11 districts, the Vidarbha region has 10 Lok Sabha seats.</p><p>While Nagpur, Ramtek (SC), Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondiya and Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) will go to polls on April 19 in Phase-1, Buldhana, Akola, Amravati (SC), Yavatmal-Washim and Wardha will go to polls on April 26 in Phase-2.</p> .Distracted by own horse-trading agendas, BJP neglected to serve Maharashtra people: Congress.<p><strong>Nagpur</strong> </p><p>In Nagpur, the geographical centre of India, two-time sitting MP Nitin Gadkari is pitted against Congress MLA Vikas Thakre, who is an MLA from Nagpur West and a former Mayor and has the backing of Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi - making the contest interesting. </p><p>Gadkari, who is one of the best performers in the Narendra Modi-government, is considered close to RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat. Nagpur is also the hometown of BJP’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. </p> .<p><strong>Chandrapur</strong> </p><p>In Chandrapur, the city of black gold, BJP’s six-time MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar is taking on Congress’s Pratibha Dhanorkar, the MLA from Warora. Dhanorkar has been fielded with the responsibility of defending the long-held Congress seat in the state that her late husband Balu Dhanorkar represented. </p><p>After last time, when veteran BJP leader Hansraj Ahir lost, the party nominated Mungantiwar, who is the state Forest Minister. At one point of time, he was one of the CM aspirants in the state.</p> .<p><strong>Amravati (SC)</strong></p><p>Amravati is witnessing the most interesting contest. Actor-turned-politician Navneet Rana, who won the 2019 polls as an Independent with NCP support, has been fielded as the BJP candidate. </p><p>The BJP denied the seat to Shiv Sena irking Shinde’s aide Anand Adsul, who had represented the seat five times. Adsul and his son Abhijeet Adsul may support candidates opposing her. </p><p>Meanwhile Congress has fielded Balwant Wankhede, the Daryapur MLA. On the other hand, Bachchu Kadu, who is the founder of the Prahar Janshakti Party and part of the BJP-led coalition has fielded Dinesh Boob for the seat. </p><p>Anandraj Ambedkar, the head of Republican Sena too has filed papers and his brother Prakash Ambedkar of VBA has not given a candidate.</p> .<p><strong>Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST)</strong></p><p>In this seat, which includes large stretches of Naxal area and is part of Red Corridor, BJP is making the third attempt at a win. </p><p>The saffron party has fielded a two-time sitting MP and two-time MLA while the Congress candidate is Dr Namdev Kirsan, a former Maharashtra government employee who had not been tested in local politics. </p><p>The Chimur seat in Vidhan Sabha is represented by Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar and Dr Kirsan is close to him.</p> .<p><strong>Bhandara-Gondiya</strong></p><p>In Bhandara Gondiya, Sunil Mendhe, the sitting BJP MP with a non-controversial image is taking on Dr Prashant Padole of the Congress, who has goodwill in the region. </p><p>A first-timer, he is a distant relative of Nana Patole and got the ticket after the state Congress chief refused to enter the fray. One of the major factors at play here would be NCP Working President Praful Patel and his political opposition to Patole. </p> .<p><strong>Ramtek (SC)</strong> </p><p>This is a seat, which former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao had represented in 1984 and 1989. For the last two terms, the seat was represented by Krupal Tumhane, however, BJP opposed his name for the contest. </p><p>Former Congress MLA from Umred, who resigned to join Shiv Sena, was fielded. Pitted against him is Shyam Barve, a long-time Congress worker, who emerged in the scene becoming the official candidate after his wife Rashmi Barve’s caste certificate was rejected. The Barve couple are close to Congress stalwart Sunil Kedar. </p> .<p><strong>Wardha</strong></p><p>A prestigious seat known for its relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, will perhaps for the first time see Congress not contesting. </p><p>The BJP has nominated sitting MP Ramdas Tadas for the third time. On the other hand, a two-time former Congress MLA from Arvi in Wardha district, Amar Kale, has joined the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) to become the party's candidate. A young face, he is a direct choice of Pawar.</p> .<p><strong>Buldhana</strong></p><p>Here, Shiv Sena’s Prataprao Jadhav would take on Prof Narendra Khedekar of Shiv Sena (UBT) - in what would be a close call. Having switched over to Shinde's faction, Jadhav is attempting a fourth term. Farmers' leader Ravikant Tupkar - who was once associated with Raju Shetti - too has entered the fray. </p> .<p><strong>Akola</strong> </p><p>A two-time Lok Sabha MP and one-term Rajya Sabha member, Prakash Ambedkar, is making yet another attempt in the polls. Against him is Anup Dhotre, the son of four-time sitting BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre and Dr Abhay Patil of the Congress, who is the party’s general secretary and an orthopaedic surgeon. </p> .<p><strong>Yavatmal-Washim</strong> </p><p>Because of BJP’s opposition to her and anti-incumbency, five-time Shiv Sena MP Bhavana Gawali had to be dropped, a development that has not gone down well in the Shinde-led party. </p><p>Instead, the Shiv Sena fielded Rajashree Patil, the wife of sitting Hingoli MP Hemant Patil, who was dropped from the list. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded Sanjay Deshmukh. </p>