Voting begins in five Lok Sabha constituencies in Maharashtra in first phase

Mumbai electorates in Maharashtra vote for 5 constituencies in Vidarbha region, with 97 candidates including Nitin Gadkari.

Electorates in five constituencies in Maharashtra began casting their votes to choose their next Members of Parliament. 

Constituencies where voting will take place are Nagpur, Chandrapur, Ramtek (SC), Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) and Bhandara-Gondia, all in the Vidarbha region of the western State. The Western State sends 48 MPs to the Lower House, the largest number after Uttar Pradesh’s 80, and will vote in five phases starting from Friday. 

A total of 97 candidates, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who is eyeing a third term after winning the Nagpur seat for BJP in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, are in fray for these five seats in the first phase. 

In Nagpur, the home city of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideology parent of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress’ Vikas Thakre, MLA and former city Mayor, is fielded against Mr. Gadkari, while in Chandrapur, State Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is taking on Congress’ Pratibha Dhanorkar. The seat was held by her late husband, Suresh ‘Balu’ Dhanorkar, who passed away last year. 

In Ramtek, Congress’ Shamsundar Barve faces off against Raju Parwe, a former Congress MLA from Umred who recently switched allegiance to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

And in Gadchiroli-Chimur (ST) and Bhandara-Gondia, BJP’s sitting MPs, Ashok Nete and Sunil Mendhe, respectively, are fielded against the grand old party’s Dr. Namdev Kirsan and Prashanth Padole. 

As many as 295 polling personnel along with EVMs of 68 booths at sensitive and hypersensitive locations in the Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district were moved to designated areas with the help of helicopters of the Indian Air Force and the Army three days before the polls.