The nomination process for the biennial elections to five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, including the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency, will begin on Tuesday with the issuance of the election notification. Candidates can file their nominations by October 6. The final electoral roll is expected to have more than 2.4 lakh voters following the completion of registration. While Congress is firm with sitting MLC Adv Abhijeet Wanjari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has yet to announce its candidate, generating considerable curiosity in political circles. The delay has also revived discussion over the timing of the BJP’s candidate announcement and its implications for campaign and organisational preparations.

 

The timing of candidate announcements had emerged as a talking point during the previous election as well. In 2020, the BJP announced Sandip Joshi as its candidate on the day the nomination process began, while Congress had announced Wanjari earlier. Wanjari subsequently defeated Joshi in the election. This time, the situation is reversed in terms of preparations. Congress has had its candidate in place for months, while the BJP is yet to announce its nominee. The Election Commission’s schedule is now expected to bring the party’s candidate-selection process into sharper focus. 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 nomination papers will be scrutinised on October 7, while candidates can withdraw their nominations up to October 9. The Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency covers Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts. Voter registration, outreach and mobilisation across the six districts are therefore likely to be important components of the campaign. With the nomination process beginning, attention will now centre on the BJP’s candidate selection and whether the party once again waits until the nomination period is underway to disclose its nominee or announces the name earlier this time.