PM Modi to address first poll campaign in Maharashtra on April 10

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also scheduled to address a rally on April 6 at Gondia, also in Vidarbha region.

The elections for five seats in eastern Vidarbha region will take place on April 19. The constituencies are Nagpur, Ramtek, Bhandara-Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli-Chimur. The elections in the state will take place in five phases between April 19 and May 20.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari is the BJP candidate for Nagpur Lok Sabha seat. In what is poised to be a direct fight, the Congress has fielded Nagpur West MLA Vikas Thakre from the seat. Gadkari won from Nagpur twice in 2014 and 2019.

On Tuesday, Gadkari accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis campaigned in Nagpur South West constituency. Fadnavis represents Nagpur South West in the Assembly.

Thakre has also started his public outreach campaign in the second capital of Maharashtra.

In Chandrapur seat, state BJP minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is pitted against Congress candidate Pratibha Dhanorkar. In 2019 polls, Chandrapur was the lone seat won by Congress candidate Suresh Dhanorkar. In May 2023, however, Suresh Dhanorkar passed away at age 47. The Congress has fielded his wife as the party candidate from the seat this time.

Out of the five seats going to polls in the first phase, the BJP is contesting in four — Nagpur, Chandrapur, Bhandara-Gondia and Gadchiroli-Chimur, while the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is contesting from Ramtek.

At Bhandara-Gondia, BJP’s sitting MP Sunil Mendhe is pitted against Congress candidate Prashant Padole. Whereas, Gadchiroli-Chimur will see a fight between BJP’s two-term sitting MP Ashok Nete and Congress’ Namdeo Kirsan. In Ramtek, the contest is between Sena’s Raju Parve and Congress’ Shyamrao Barve. Initially, the Congress had fielded Rashmi Barve. But her nomination was rejected over caste validity. As a result, her husband Shyamrao Barve, who had also filed nomination, became the official party candidate. Another candidate Kishore Gajbiye has decided to contest as an independent. In 2019, Gajbiye was the official Congress candidate from Ramtek against then undivided Shiv Sena candidate Krupal Tumane, who won the seat.