Campaigning ends in 11 Maharashtra LS seats locked in high-intensity political battle

Mumbai, May 5 (IANS) Campaigning ended on Sunday for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, covering 11 constituencies, where the ruling MahaYuti comprising the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress, are locked in a high-stakes political battle.

Voting in this phase will be held on May 7 in Raigad, Baramati, Dharashiv, Latur, Solapur, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, and Hatkanangle. A total of 258 candidates are in the fray.

Both the competing alliances face the huge challenge of bringing out the maximum number of voters to the polling stations amid ongoing heat waves so that these constituencies report 75 per cent polling on May 7. Both these alliances have stepped up efforts in this regard in the wake of the lower turnout of about 60 to 62.71 per cent in the first and second phases of polling that took place in 13 seats.

Of the 11 constituencies, the BJP is locked in a direct contest against the Congress in Latur and Solapur, against the NCP-SP in Madha and Satara, and against the Shiv Sena-UBT in Sangli and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is contesting the Raigad and Dharashiv seats against the Shiv Sena-UBT, and Baramati against the NCP of Sharad Pawar while the Shiv Sena faces the Congress in Kolhapur and the Shiv Sena-UBT in Hatkanangle.

The BJP roped in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath while for the MVA, NCP-SP chief Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi addressed poll rallies to charge up the cadres.

Of these 11 constituencies, it is Sharad Pawar vs Ajit Pawar in Baramati as both held hectic campaigning for supremacy and consolidation of their respective positions in their traditional home turf in the first elections after the NCP split in June 2023.

The NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, has fielded sitting MP and his daughter Supriya Sule, who is resolved to score a hat trick, against her sister-in-law (Ajit Pawar’s wife) Sunetra Pawar.

Sharad Pawar and Supriya ran their campaign flagging off Baramati’s development and its future plan while reiterating their strong opposition to BJP’s divisive politics. On his part, Ajit Pawar, carried out his campaign, projecting its contest between Narendra Modi vs Rahul Gandhi and seeking votes for Modi to become PM for this third time.

In Solapur, Madha, Satara, and Sangli from the cooperative-rich and politically vibrant constituencies, the BJP has devoted all resources to spread its wings.

In Solapur, it dropped the sitting MP and nominated its legislator Ram Satpute against Congress nominee and legislator Praniti Shinde. The BJP hopes to score a hat trick while Shinde, daughter of former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has worked hard to regain Congress’ lost glory.

In Madha, BJP nominee Ranjit Singh Naik Nimbalkar faces a tough challenge from NCP-SP nominee Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil while in Satara, BJP nominee and Chhatrapati Shivaji’s descendant Udayanraje Bhosle is locked in a direct fight against NCP-SP candidate and Mathadi workers’ representative Shashikant Shinde.

In Sangli, BJP nominee Sanjay Patil hopes to win for the third term in a triangular contest against Shiv Sena-UBT nominee Chandrahar Patil and Congress rebel and former Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil’s grandson Vishal Patil.

In Kolhapur, Congress nominee Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj is taking on the Shiv Sena nominee and sitting MP Sanjay Mandlik. In the neighbouring Hatkanangle, Shiv Sena candidate and sitting MP Dhairyasheel Mane is pitted against Shiv Sena-UBT nominee Satyajit Patil and Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana founder Raju Shetti.

Of the two seats from the Konkan region, in Raigad, state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare is pitted against Shiv Sena-UBT nominee and former Union Minister Anant Geete while Union Minister Narayan Rane is fighting his maiden Lok Sabha elections from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat against Shiv Sena-UBT’s Vinayak Raut who has won in 2014 and 2019 elections.

Of the two seats from the water scarcity-hit Marathwada region, Shiv Sena-UBT candidate and sitting MP Omraje Nimbalkar is locked in a direct contest against NCP candidate Archana Patil who is the wife of his cousin and BJP legislator Rana Jagjit Singh Patil. In Latur, BJP nominee and sitting MP Sudhakar Shrangare is fighting against Congress candidate Shivaji Kalge.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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