Dilemma in Mahayuti for LS candidates in Amravati, Buldhana, Yavatmal

NAGPUR: Amidst the announcement of the retaining of two BJP candidates in Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur districts, and the declaration of Shiv Sena candidate from Ramtek, the nomination dilemma persists for the Amravati, Yavatmal, and Buldhana Lok Sabha candidates within the Mahayuti (grand alliance) in the state.
Mahayuti comprises the ruling BJP, Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – Ajit Pawar faction.
The Shiv Sena has replaced Krupal Tumane with Raju Parwe, a Congress MLA from Umred, for the Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency. The BJP has reaffirmed Sunil Mendhe for Bhandara-Gondia and Ashok Nete for Gadchiroli-Chimur.
In Amravati, a conflict arises as the BJP, led by senior leader and deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, pushes Navneet Rana for the Lok Sabha seat, while Anandrao Adsul, a senior leader from the constituency representing Sena, opposes Rana’s candidature, causing a delay in the candidate announcement by the Mahayuti.
Similarly, the BJP urges Shinde to change the Yavatmal candidate, challenging Bhavna Gawli, the current Lok Sabha member from the Shinde faction.
In Buldhana, the BJP seeks the seat in exchange and proposes Shweta Mahale, a BJP MLA from Chikhali, instead of the incumbent MP, Prataprao Jadhav. Presently, the BJP controls three Assembly segments out of six assembly constituencies, within the Buldhana Lok Sabha seat.
Despite Jadhav’s popularity in Buldhana since 2009, the BJP emphasises the need for change based on an internal survey. The BJP leader suggests that nominations for Jadhav (Buldhana), Gawli (Yavatmal), and Adsul (Amravati) by Sena (Shinde) may not secure victory this time. In Yavatmal, the BJP asserts control over four out of six assembly segments, advocating for a shift in favour of the party.
However, the five-term Lok Sabha member, Gawli is confident over her re-nomination for the Lok Sabha seat by the party. “I will get the nomination this time too and will retain the seat and make history by winning the seat in six consecutive terms,” she said.
Meanwhile, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister and BJP candidate from Nagpur, plans to file his nomination on March 27 in the presence of deputy chief minister Fadnavis and the state party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, while the Congress candidate, Vikas Thakre, will do so on March 26. Similarly, Sudhir Mungantiwar of BJP and the Congress nominee, Pratibha Dhanorkar, both from Chandrapur Lok Sabha constituency, will file their nomination papers on March 26.
On the other hand, the AIMIM announces its entry into the electoral race in Nagpur and Ramtek Lok Sabha constituencies, banking on Muslim and Dalit voters. The party plans to field a Muslim and a Dalit candidate in each constituency, with the Ramtek seat reserved for SC candidates. In 2019, AIMIM allied with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) in Maharashtra but now opted for a solo campaign.