10 high-profile Assembly battles to watch out for as Maharashtra goes to the polls today

It’s uncle Ajit Pawar from NCP versus nephew Yugendra Pawar from NCP (SP) in the Pawar family’s traditional Baramati Assembly seat in Pune district. After the defeat of his wife in the Lok Sabha polls, Ajit Pawar is trying to prove his supremacy by winning the seat for the eighth time, while Sharad Pawar has entrusted his grandnephew and debutant Yugendra as successor in the constituency.

Nagpur South West: Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) vs Prafful Gudadhe (Congress)

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is the Maharashtra BJP’s face, is in a tough battle in his bastion of Nagpur South West against Congress candidate Prafful Gudadhe. While Fadnavis has been extensively campaigning in the state, Gudadhe poses a significant challenge in his homeyard. An influential Congress leader from Nagpur, Gudadhe has managed to end the infighting in the party and raised a challenge to Fadnavis.

Shirdi: Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (BJP) vs Prabhavati Ghogare (Congress)

Revenue Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, a heavyweight, is engaged in a bitter battle with Prabhavati Ghogare, a debutant from the Congress known for her firebrand speeches and attacks on Vikhe-Patil. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi held a campaign rally for Ghogare and the party is extending all possible help to defeat Vikhe-Patil, a former Congressman.

Kolhapur North: Rajesh Kshirsagar (Shiv Sena) vs Rajesh Latkar (independent)

In an embarrassment to the Congress, the party’s official candidate, Madhurimaraje Chhatrapati, withdrew from the contest on the last day, forcing the party to support independent Rajesh Latkar, who was the initial choice of the party. Kshirsagar, a former MLA from this seat, is looking to regain his past glory. The prestige of senior Congress leader Satej Patil is also at stake in this battle and the urban constituency is witnessing a fierce battle.

Nandgaon: Suhas Kande (Shiv Sena) vs Sameer Bhujbal (independent) vs Ganesh Dhatrak (Shiv Sena-UBT)

Challenging the alleged “terror” of Shiv Sena MLA Suhas Kande, his party’s ally NCP’s candidate, Sameer Bhujbal, is contesting the Nandgaon seat in Nasik as an independent. In 2019, Kande defeated the undivided NCP’s Pankaj Bhujbal, a cousin of Sameer. The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has given the ticket to Dhatrak from Shiv Sena (UBT).

Bhokar: Tirupati Kondekar (Congress) vs Shreejaya Chavan (BJP)

Former Congress chief minister Ashok Chavan’s prestige is at stake in his traditional Bhokar constituency in Nanded, where his daughter Shreejaya is making her electoral debut. The Congress too has fielded a debutant, Tirupati Kondekar aka Pappu Patil, who is a popular face among the youth. Battling the discontent over his joining of the BJP and the opposition of several powerful families in the region, Ashok Chavan, now a Rajya Sabha member, is campaigning day in and day out to ensure his daughter’s victory. The Congress too has deployed all his senior leadership in this constituency to teach Chavan a lesson.

Ashti: Balasaheb Ajabe (NCP) vs Suresh Dhas (BJP) vs Maheboob Sheikh (NCP-SP) vs Bhimrao Dhonde (independent)

In an interesting four-corner battle, three candidates in Beed district’s Ashti constituency are supportive of the ruling alliance. While the seat went to the BJP, incumbent Balasaheb Ajabe was given the ticket by the party’s ally NCP. Miffed over being denied the ticket, former MLA Bhimrao Dhonde of the BJP has filed his nomination as an independent. The MVA has fielded a debutant from NCP (SP), Maheboob Sheikh, the party’s lone Muslim candidate outside Mumbai.

Pandharpur: Samadhan Autade (BJP) vs Bhagirath Bhalke (Congress) vs Anil Sawant (NCP-SP)

In a three-corner fight in Solapur district’s Pandharpur, incumbent BJP MLA is facing a challenge from two Opposition candidates. Unable to settle the seat-sharing dispute, both Congress and NCP (SP) have fielded strong candidates. Bhagirath Bhalke is a son of deceased MLA Bharat Bhalke and Sawant too hails from an influential political family. The battle is likely to throw surprises.

Kannad: Udaysingh Rajput (Sena UBT) vs Sanjana Jadhav (Shiv Sena) vs Harshvardhan Jadhav (independent)

In a triangular battle, a husband and wife are fighting against each other for the Kannad seat in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Former MNS MLA Harshvardhan Jadhav is an independent candidate, while his wife and daughter of BJP leader Raosaheb Danve is a Shiv Sena candidate. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has given the ticket to incumbent Udaysingh Rajput, the lone Shiv Sena MLA who did not join hands with Eknath Shinde after the rebellion within the party.

Aheri: Dharmraobaba Atram (NCP) vs Bhagyashri Atram (NCP-SP)

In Gadchiroli’s Aheri constituency, a father and daughter have locked horns with each other. Minister Dharmaraobaba Atram is being challenged by his daughter Bhagyashri for the seat that members of the erstwhile Atram royal family have been winning for several terms. In 2014, Atram was defeated by his nephew. Now, he is facing a challenge from his daughter.