Candidates comprise repeaters, wife, hubby, replacements

 

 

MULTI-CORNERED fights are on cards in all 16 circles of Zilla Parishad (ZP) and 31 seats of Panchayat Samitis (PS) going to bypolls in the district. For, of the three Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents -- Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Congress -- Shiv Sena is going solo and Congress and NCP are contesting in alliance with Shetkari Kamgar Paksha (SKP) joining in. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also is contesting solo. The candidates of all the parties filed nominations on Monday, the last date for submission of papers for the bypolls. Interestingly, all these five parties either repeated the candidates or gave tickets to wife or husband of previous member. At a few places, parties have given replacements.

 

After the Supreme Court verdict, 16 out of total 58 members had lost their membership as they were elected from the seats that fell in the category of excess reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC). These 16 included the highest seven of ruling Congress, four each of BJP and NCP, and one of SKP. With these members losing membership, bypolls were announced and all these 16 seats were reserved for General category, with half of the seats reserved for women from General category. The polling for 16 ZP seats and 31 PS seats is scheduled on July 19. Congress-NCP-SKP alliance was finalised after rounds of discussion between Dr Nitin Raut, Guardian Minister of Nagpur district, Sunil Kedar, Animal Husbandry Minister, Anil Deshmukh, former Home Minister, Ranjit Kamble, Observer of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Rajendra Mulak, District President of Congress party, Nana Gawande, Vice-President of MPCC, Ramesh Bang, former Minister, Baba Gujar, District President of NCP, Salil Deshmukh, ZP member and Bandopant Umarkar, former Vice-President of ZP. BJP finalised the candidates after adopting a consultative process. According to Arvind Gajbhiye, District President of BJP, the party held meeting of 50-100 prominent workers from all 16 circles of ZP and 31 wards of PS and then only finalised the names of the candidates to be given tickets. This was done to avoid any bickering among the party workers. “We will win all 16 ZP seats and 31 PS seats,” he said.

 

BJP has appointed Sameer Meghe, Hingna MLA, as election in-charge for ZP and PS bypolls. Meghe along with Gajbhiye, Kishor Rewatkar, Organising General Secretary of the party, Avinash Khalatkar, Imeshwar Yawalkar, Ajay Bodhare and Presidents and General Secretaries of district units of all frontal organisations of the party will tour the entire district on July 8 and July 9 to hold ‘strategic meetings for winning the bypolls’. Chandrashekhar Bawnakule, former Guardian Minister of district, also will visit each of the ZP circles going to bypolls. According to Gajbhiye, BJP was planning to conduct meetings of Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, as well as Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition (Assembly), in the last phase of campaign for the bypolls. As far as Shiv Sena is concerned, it is going solo. However, it could not compile the list of all candidates. Krupal Tumane, Shiv Sena MP from Ramtek, told ‘The Hitavada’ that Shiv Sena was contesting the bypolls on its own and had fielded candidates from all 16 Zilla Parishad circles and 31 PS wards going to the bypolls. Asked why the MVA alliance of three parties did not materialise in these bypolls, he said that Congress and NCP had come together but Shiv Sena decided to go solo. Nine candidates for Bothiya-Palora ZP seat n Ramtek Correspondent From Ramtek tehsil, only one ZP circle is going to bypolls. For this lone ZP seat of Bothiya-Palora, nine candidates have filed nomination papers. Besides, for three PS wards going to bypolls, total 15 filed nomination papers, said Jogendra Katyare, Sub-Divisional Officer and Returning Officer, Ramtek.

 

The candidates for Bothiya-Palora ZP circle include Shravan Borkar, Sushil Uikey, Harichand Uikey (Gondwana Gantantra Party), Kailash Raut (Congress), Devanand Wanjari (Shiv Sena), Laxmanrao Kene (BJP), Mahadeo Warthi, Nakul Barbate (NCP), and Namrasen Dongre. The PS ward-wise nominations received by the administration till Monday are as follows: Umri -- Ramkrishna Warkhade, Ramesh Bamhnote, Mahesh Madavi, Sukhdeo Shendre, Sandeep Inwate, Bhumeshwari Kumbhalkar; Nagardhan -- Shobha Sarode, Malati Bawankule, Kanchanlata Bandhate, Kavita Bawankule, Swati Ramelwar, and Ashwita Biranwar. Six file papers for Kohali PS ward, three for Telkamthi n Kalmeshwar Correspondent As many as six nominations were received for Kohali ward of Panchayat Samiti (PS) and three for Telkamthi ward going to bypolls, in Kalmeshwar tehsil. The PS ward-wise nominations include Kohali -- Shravan Bhingare (former Chairman, Congress), Amol Bhure (BJP supported), Ritesh Kukde, Megha Bhingare, Mithun Bawane, and Gautam Meshram; Telkamthi -- Malati Wasu (Congress), Smita Helonde (BJP supported), and Swati Nimbalkar. Mahendra Dongre, Pinky Kaurati, Babarao Kodhe, Ashish Deshmukh, Babarao Patil, Ramji Kale, Vaibhav Ghonge, Ashokrao Bhagwat, Narendra Palatkar, Virendra Singh Bais, Anil Dongre, Shankar Kale, Pravin Gatfane, Dadarao Deshmukh, Prema Dafare, Ishwar Wadi, Gajanan Bhingare and others accompanied Shravan Bhingare while he submitted his nomination papers to the administration. ZP member assaulted in Cong office in Parseoni n Staff Reporter A Zilla Parishad (ZP) member was assaulted in Congress office in Parseoni on Monday. Dudhram Sawwalakhe, Congress member of ZP from Nagardhan-Bhandarbodi circle, was sitting in party office in Parseoni along with Babloo Barve, Prafull Kawle, Gopal Burde and others. Congress leader Uday Singh alias Gajju Yadav, his brother Ranveer Yadav, and three others came to the office. An altercation broke out between them and Sawwalakhe. As per the complaint lodged by Sawwalakhe, Gajju Yadav and others assaulted him. Parseoni Police booked Gajju Yadav and others under Sections 324, 143, 147, 149, 504, and 506 of the IPC.

 

Alliance: Congress fields 10 candidates, NCP 5, SKP 1 As far as Congress-NCP-SKP alliance is concerned, Congress has fielded candidates from 10 seats, NCP has got five, and SKP has retained one seat. Of seven ZP circles it held earlier, Congress has repeated its candidates at five. They include Jyoti Shiraskar (Wakodi), Avantika Lekurwale (Wadoda), Yogesh Deshmukh (Aroli), Kailash Raut (Bothiya-Palora), Archana Bhoyar (Karambhad). From Kelvad, Congress has given ticket to Sumitra Kumbhare, wife of Manohar Kumbhare -- who was Vice-President of ZP before the Supreme Court verdict. Congress has replaced Jyoti Raut, who was elected previously, with experienced leader Kunda Raut from Godhani (Railway). Kunda Raut, daughter of former ZP President Shyamdev Raut, was a member of ZP earlier also and was known for articulation in raising issues. Other candidates fielded by Congress include Arun Hatwar (Rajola), Dinesh Dhole (Gumthala), and Sanjay Jagtap (Nildoh). NCP has fielded its candidates from five circles. It has repeated only one candidate -- Devka Bodkhe -- from Sawargaon. From Paradsinga, it has replaced senior leader Chandrashekhar Kolhe with his wife Sharada. Similarly, from Bhishnoor, it has fielded Pravin Jodh, husband of its erstwhile member Poonam Jodh. Suchita Thakre, NCP’s erstwhile member from Digdoh, left the party and joined BJP recently to contest as BJP candidate from Digdoh circle. Hence, NCP has fielded Rashmi Kotgule from Digdoh. In the alliance, NCP has got one more seat -- Digdoh-Isasani -- from where it has fielded Geeta Harinkhede. SKP has retained its lone seat and has repeated Sameer Umap. 

 

BJP fields two ex-NCP members, drops Nidhan BJP has repeated three out of its four erstwhile members. These include Rajendra Harde from Nildoh, Archana Giri from Digdoh-Isasani, and Bhojraj Thaokar from Rajola. However, surprisingly, it replaced Anil Nidhan, who was BJP group leader in ZP till recently. Nidhan’s replacement shocked many as he was considered a close aide of Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former Guardian Minister of district. From Gumthala, BJP has fielded Yogesh Daf in place of Nidhan. Interestingly, BJP’s list includes two former NCP members. Suchita Thakre, who was NCP’s ZP member from Digdoh circle, quit NCP recently to join BJP. Now, BJP has fielded her from the same circle. Also, the party has fielded senior leader Sadanand Nimkar, who was District President of NCP till a few years ago. Nimkar has been fielded from Aroli- Kodamendhi circle. The candidates from remaining 10 ZP circles include Parvati Kalbande (Sawargaon), Nitin Dhote (Bhishnoor), Nileshkumar Dhote (Yenwa), Meenakshi Sarode (Paradsinga), Ayushi Dhapke (Wakodi), Sangeeta Mulmule (Kelvad), Prabhavati Kadu (Karambhad), Laxmanrao Kene (Bothiya-Palora), Anitatai Chikte (Wadoda), and Vijayrao Raut (Godhani Railway).