Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjarri defeated the BJP's Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes in the Nagpur graduates' MLC constituency, securing a second term despite more than 15,000 ballots being ruled invalid. The BJP suffered from internal discord after former MLC Anil Sole launched a brief independent bid following his ticket denial. Across the state, the ruling alliance struggled with cross-party sabotage, winning only one of the three seats it contested.
Key points
Discontent over candidate selection and rebel candidacies severely undermined the BJP in…: Discontent over candidate selection and rebel candidacies severely undermined the BJP in its traditional political bastions.
Wanjarri represented the solitary Congress victory among 28 graduate and teachers' seats…: Wanjarri represented the solitary Congress victory among 28 graduate and teachers' seats contested across four different states.
Public rifts within the Mahayuti coalition surfaced as allied Shiv Sena figures actively…: Public rifts within the Mahayuti coalition surfaced as allied Shiv Sena figures actively opposed official alliance nominees.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
NAGPUR: Abhijit Wanjarri’s victory for a second consecutive term in the RSS citadel, home turf of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari, dealt BJP a major setback in its strongest political bastion and sharpened questions over candidate selection. He defeated BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale by 3,271 votes.
“I used brains against BJP’s might,” he said. He was the lone Congress nominee to win MLC polls held on Oct 23 that covered 28 graduate and teachers’ constituencies across Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra and UP.
Former MLC Anil Sole, a Gadkari confidant denied a ticket, entered the contest as an Independent and stopped campaigning only after Fadnavis visited his home to resolve the dispute. The extent to which his rebellion hurt Kohale remains unclear.
Over 15,000 votes were declared invalid in Nagpur, including nearly 9,000 ballots allegedly marked with the number ‘2’ against Kohale, but without preferences for the other 37 candidates. High count raised questions over voter error and discontent with candidate selection.
Kohale said he would appeal against the invalid votes.
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