Gadkari secures highest votes polled ever for BJP in Nagpur constituency
   Date :27-May-2019

 
 
By Kartik Lokhande;
 
As the final figures for the Lok Sabha elections held recently are received, a look at the numbers reveals that Nitin Gadkari has received the highest number of votes polled ever for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nagpur constituency. In fact, in 2014 also, Gadkari had secured the number of votes that were the highest ever polled by BJP. This time, he has broken his own record. Since 1984, when the party first fielded its candidate from Nagpur under the banner of BJP, the party’s vote share has grown consistently. In 1984, it polled 2,93,739 votes, which were only 14.15 per cent of the total number of votes polled. Then, Congress party’s vote share was 52.99 per cent of the total votes polled.
 

 
 
But, BJP continued with its efforts and in 1989, it polled 26.24 per cent of the total votes polled, reducing Congress’ vote-share to 38.85 per cent. In 1991 elections, BJP’s vote-share grew to 33.45 per cent. It was followed by increase to 45.45 per cent in 1996, when BJP got its first Member of Parliament from the constituency in Banwarilal Purohit. It was the brightest performance of BJP in Nagpur, and this record remained unbeaten for BJP till 2014.
 
In 1998, the BJP could muster vote-share of 38.16 per cent. The year 1999 saw some improvement but BJP could register only 43.41 per cent of total number of votes polled. The performance of the party dipped to 34.61 per cent of votes polled in 2004 Lok Sabha elections. It improved to 38.49 per cent in 2009. In 2014, across the country, BJP registered a spectacular victory and won majority. In Nagpur constituency also, the party registered its best-ever performance.
 
Nitin Gadkari of BJP defeated Vilas Muttemwar of Congress by a huge margin of over 2.82 lakh votes. Gadkari polled 54.13 per cent of total votes polled. Of a total 10,85,765 votes polled in 2014 elections, Gadkari polled 5,87,767 votes. For Congress, performance in 2014 was the worst-ever as its vote-share dipped to only 27.90 per cent of total votes polled. Now, in 2019, with the massive developmental push in not only Nagpur constituency but entire Vidarbha, Gadkari has delivered yet another spectacular performance. Of the total 11,86,051 votes polled, he alone has polled 6,60,221 votes, that is, 55.67 per cent. As against that, Congress candidate Nana Patole could get 4,44,212 votes, that is, 37.45 per cent of total votes polled. Compared to 2014, Gadkari added 72,454 votes to his tally in 2019.