The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has lost all four seats it congested in the Marathwada region. This also includes Jalna where Union minister Raosaheb Danve witnessed defeat. He was a five-time MP from Jalna and held the seat since 1999.
BJP’s defeat in Jalna came as a surprise as it has been party’s stronghold since 1996. Jalna district, was the epicentre of the Maratha quota agitation led by Manoj Jarange.
Danve lost to Congress’ Kalyan Kale who aced by a margin of 1,09,958 votes. The only candidate of Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti who won in Marathwada is Sandipan Bhumare. On the other hand, Congress won all three seats it contested, while the Uddshav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) won three of the four seats it contested.
Wight seats of Marathwada
Notably, Marathwada comprises eight seats namely, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Osmanabad, Latur, Aurangabad, Jalna and Beed. In another setback for BJP in Marathwada, BJP’s Pankaja Munde faced defeat at the hands of NCP (SP) candidate Bajrang Sonawne, who won by a margin of 6,553 votes after a neck-to-neck battle.
Similarly in Nanded, BJP’s Ashok Chavhan, who left Congress and joined BJP this year, lost the elections. In Latur also, BJP's candidate Sudhakar Shrangare, contesting the Lok Sabha poll for the second time, lost to Congress' Shivaji Kalge by 61,881 votes.
BJP two-term MP Prataprao Chikhalikar too lost the elections to Congress' Vasantrao Chavan by a margin of 59,442 votes.
Shiv Sena (UBT) gains
While Shiv Sena’s Bhimre clinched Aurangabad as only seat for Mahayuti in Marathwada, Shiv Sena (UBT) won Hingoli, Osmanabad and Parbhani.
Ruling Mahayuti included, BJP, Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. On the other hand, opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) include the Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar.
(With PTI Inputs)
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