Nitin Gadkari banks on track record in Nagpur battle, Congress bets on bread-and-butter issues

Gadkari won in 2014 by 2.16 lakh votes and increased both his vote share and victory margin five years later (the Congress’s vote share also jumped in 2019). This time, he is campaigning round the clock, addressing rallies in every corner of the city.

Echoing the Union Minister, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule says, “Gadkari ji will poll more than 65% of the total polls. We are confident our victory margin will increase. His work in infrastructure development is his success.” BJP insiders say Gadkari, a former BJP national president, played an important role along with current Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also from Nagpur, in consolidating the BJP’s presence in the larger Vidarbha region.

But the Congress, undone by infighting last time, believes it has a strong local candidate in Nagpur Congress president Vikas Thakre. Party insiders believe he is a better choice unlike in 2019 when Nana Patole, the current state Congress chief, was seen as an outsider.

Thakre, Congress insiders say, is a popular figure because of his tenure as a former Nagpur mayor and is also viewed as an accessible leader. At present, he is the Nagpur West MLA, one of the Assembly segments of the parliamentary constituency. Fadnavis has represented the Assembly seat twice.

The Congress candidate is banking on anti-incumbency against the BJP that runs the civic body. “The people of Nagpur are concerned about jobs, inflation and civic facilities such as water and electricity. The civic body is with the BJP but they are still not able to provide water and roads are in a pathetic condition. Development does not take place by only pouring cement and concrete everywhere. The youth need jobs and the residents need water on time and electricity at affordable rates. The BJP has failed to provide all of it,” says Thakre.

The Congress will also hope to get a chunk of the support of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the AIMIM this time. The three parties have not fielded any candidates in Nagpur. In 2019, the VBA, which was in alliance with the AIMIM, and the BSP polled 57,943 votes or almost 5% of the vote share. Keeping this in mind, Thakre is campaigning heavily in Dalit and Muslim areas of the city and is also counting on the support of his Kunbi (OBC) community. According to a Congress insider, the Kunbi community in Vidarbha is upset with the BJP over its flip-flops on the Maratha reservation issue and that may work in Thakre’s favour.

At a tea stall in Nagpur’s Sitaburdi area, Rakesh Wagh, who is in his thirties and works in a private company, says, “Yes there are big flyovers and metro lines in Nagpur and it all looks classy. But that has not solved our problems. Civic amenities are poor, there is a major issue of water cuts, and electricity charges are exorbitant. These issues matter to us and not only flyovers and metros.”

His friend Suyog Kendre, who is standing nearby, chimes in. “The issues for the middle class, lower middle class, and the poor are basic civic amenities, rising inflation, and the lack of jobs. We are not arguing against building metros and flyovers but who are going to use them if the youth have no jobs? The educated youth have to migrate to Mumbai and Pune for job opportunities,” he says.

Another customer at the tea stall, however, praises Gadkari for the infrastructural work he has done, saying that he will win again because of his track record. But he too agrees that the lack of civic amenities and unemployment are major issues that should be addressed.