The Election Commission’s announcement of the schedule for biennial elections to five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats has set the stage for another contest for the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency, where the BJP is yet to announce its candidate while the Congress has already put its sitting MLC Abhijit Wanjari in the fray. Polling for the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency, along with the Aurangabad and Pune Graduates’ and Amravati and Pune Teachers’ constituencies, will be held on October 23, with counting scheduled for October 27. The notification will be issued on September 29, while nominations can be filed up to October 6. Wanjari’s candidature is not a fresh development. The Congress had announced him as its candidate well in advance, allowing him to begin preparations for a second term while the BJP has so far kept its choice under wraps.

 

Wanjari had defeated BJP’s Sandip Joshi in the 2020 election, ending the BJP’s long hold over the constituency. The 2020 election saw 1,32,923 votes polled from a registered electorate of more than two lakh. Wanjari secured 61,701 votes, while Joshi polled 42,791, giving Wanjari a margin of 18,910 votes. The official election result sheet records Wanjari as the winner after he crossed the prescribed quota. The timing of candidate announcements had also emerged as a talking point during the previous election.

 

The BJP had announced Joshi’s candidature only on the day nominations were filed, whereas the Congress had announced Wanjari earlier. The BJP’s late decision was subsequently discussed within political circles in the context of its campaign and organisational preparations. This time, the situation is reversed in terms of the current preparations: Congress has had its candidate in place for months, while the BJP is still to announce its nominee. The Election Commission’s schedule is therefore likely to accelerate the BJP’s decision-making process and preparations for the constituency. The BJP now faces a choice over its nominee from among several names being discussed within the party. The eventual selection will determine the shape of the contest, while the Congress is seeking to consolidate the advantage of having a known candidate and an established campaign network.

 

The Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency covers Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli, making voter registration, outreach and mobilisation across six districts crucial components of the campaign. The 2020 election was contested at 322 polling stations, according to contemporary reports. With the polling date now fixed, attention will turn to the BJP’s candidate selection and whether the party repeats its 2020 approach of announcing its nominee close to the nomination deadline or opts for an earlier declaration this time. Amravati Teachers’ Constituency: The other Vidarbha seat going to the polls is the Amravati Division Teachers’ Constituency, where sitting MLC Kiran Ramrao Sarnaik is completing his term. The seat is among the five Maharashtra Council constituencies for which the EC has announced the October 23 election. The notification will bring the electoral process into force from September 29, with the Model Code of Conduct applicable to the concerned constituencies with immediate effect.