Nagpur parliamentary constituency has returned a Congress candidate in the last three elections. This time it will witness a tough fight between sitting MP Vilas Muttemwar (Congress ) and Banwarilal Purohit (BJP). Speaking to TOI on Tuesday, both Muttemwar and Purohit were reluctant to speculate on a victory margin , but supporters admit the margin will be slender.
In the 16 elections held here, the Congress lost only four times, including one by-election . Last time the Congress tasted defeat was in 1996, at the hands of Purohit . But then all Republican Party of India (RPI) factions were united, leaving few Dalit votes for the Congress.
This time the Congress again has cause for worry. Three of its four MLAs are not backing Muttemwar, which the BJP hopes will see their candidate through. BJP sources say the Congress lost NMC elections in 2007 due to infighting. But the Congress is dismissing the non-cooperation of MLAs Nitin Raut, Anees Ahmed and Satish Chaturvedi, claiming the three can damage Muttemwar by 5,000 votes each at the most. The party has a large number of supporters in the city who vote for it irrespective of candidate.
The BJP’s house is also not in perfect order. Hardcore supporters are upset over the fielding of an outsider — Purohit joined the party in 2004. But with state BJP president Nitin Gadkari and popular MLA Devendra Fadnavis overseeing the campaign, there has been no open rebellion so far.
Political analysts say BSP candidate Manikrao Vaidya, of the Teli community, may damage the prospects of both BJP and Congress, if the community decides to favour him. But while the Congress feels Vaidya can poll at the most 10% Dalit votes, BJP puts the figure at over 60%.
Unfortunately, development seems to be a non-issue even in this urban constituency . Few voters are likely to vote for or against Muttemwar for his role in Mihan. Load-shedding , poor water distribution, lack of public transport do not seem to be major issues. Many will vote for the party, depending on whether they want a government led by Congress or BJP at the Centre.
In the 16 elections held here, the Congress lost only four times, including one by-election . Last time the Congress tasted defeat was in 1996, at the hands of Purohit . But then all Republican Party of India (RPI) factions were united, leaving few Dalit votes for the Congress.
This time the Congress again has cause for worry. Three of its four MLAs are not backing Muttemwar, which the BJP hopes will see their candidate through. BJP sources say the Congress lost NMC elections in 2007 due to infighting. But the Congress is dismissing the non-cooperation of MLAs Nitin Raut, Anees Ahmed and Satish Chaturvedi, claiming the three can damage Muttemwar by 5,000 votes each at the most. The party has a large number of supporters in the city who vote for it irrespective of candidate.
The BJP’s house is also not in perfect order. Hardcore supporters are upset over the fielding of an outsider — Purohit joined the party in 2004. But with state BJP president Nitin Gadkari and popular MLA Devendra Fadnavis overseeing the campaign, there has been no open rebellion so far.
Political analysts say BSP candidate Manikrao Vaidya, of the Teli community, may damage the prospects of both BJP and Congress, if the community decides to favour him. But while the Congress feels Vaidya can poll at the most 10% Dalit votes, BJP puts the figure at over 60%.
Unfortunately, development seems to be a non-issue even in this urban constituency . Few voters are likely to vote for or against Muttemwar for his role in Mihan. Load-shedding , poor water distribution, lack of public transport do not seem to be major issues. Many will vote for the party, depending on whether they want a government led by Congress or BJP at the Centre.
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