FOR the last three terms, MLA Ravi Rana of the Yuva Swabhiman Party’s has been winning from the Badnera Assembly Constituency defeating challenges posed by his opponents. Despite his successive victories, it would be an uphill task for him to win a fourth term. Rana won Badnera Assembly elections in 2009 as an independent candidate defeating the then political bigwig Sulbha Khodke of the NCP. Since then, there has been no looking back for MLA Ravi Rana.

 

Over the years, he has only stregthened hils hold over the constituency which has a mix of urban and rural population. In 2014 elections, he again defeated Sulabha Khodke and Tushar Bhartiya of the BJP. In 2019, he defeated Shiv Sena’s Priti Band, wife of late Sanjay Band, despite the sympathy. In all these elections, while the difficulties looked greater, Rana had surmounted those to win with comfortable margins. This time, Rana again will again be in the battlefield, (his Yuva Swabhiman Party being a coalition partner in Mahayuti) and will be challenged by Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate. Priti Band is a strong contender from Badnera Assembly constituency from Shiv Sena (UBT). Sunil Kharate, Amravati District Chief of Shiv Sena (UBT) is also eager to get candidature. The Bharatiya Janata Party is facing a revolt of sort with Tushar Bhartiya, former Standing Committee Chairman of Amravati Municipal Corporation and a brother of MLC Shrikant Bhartiya, declaring to contest the election even though BJP is not fielding him. This may turn the fight in constituency to a traingular one. In 2019, Badnera LAC had a total of 3,55,888 voters. Total number of valid vote was 1,86,665.

 

Independent candidate Ravi Rana secured 90,460 votes (48.46 percent of the total votes polled). Shiv Sena candidate Priti Sanjay Band polled 74,919 (40.17 percent) votes, losing by a margin of 15,541 votes. Riding on the sympathy wave after her husband’s death, Priti Band gave a tough fight to Ravi Rana. Earlier in 2014 election, there were 16 candidates in fray from the constitutency leading to a quadrangular contest between sitting MLA Ravi Rana, Sanjay Band of Shiv Sena, Sulabha Khodke of Congress Party and Tushar Bhartiya of Bhartiya Janata Party. There were 3,12,684 voters out fo which 1,79,403 were the valid votes. Independent candidate Ravi Rana won and became MLA from this seat for the second time by securing 46,827 votes (26.1 percent of total votes polled). He secured a total 46,827 votes. Shiv Sena’s Band polled 39m408 votes losing by a margin of 7,419 votes. Sulbha Khodke remained on third place with 33m897 (18.89 percent) votes and Tushar Bhartiya remained on fourth place with 31,455 (17.53 percent) votes. His proudest moment was the elections in 2009, when he made his debut and emerged as a glowing star, winning by a margin of 18,771 votes. In 2009, Badnera Legislative Assembly constituency had a total 2,75,076 electorates.

 

The total number of valid votes were 1,55,543 (56.55 percent). Independent candidate Ravi Rana won and became MLA from this seat. He secured a total 73,031 votes (46.95 percent). Nationalist Congress Party candidate Sulabha Sanjay Khodke polled 54,260 votes (34.88 percent). She lost by 18,771 votes. Sudhir Suryawanshi of Shiv Sena, whose entry in the fray made it a traingular contest, polled only 17,582 (11.3 percent) votes. MLA Ravi Rana secured a hat-trick in 2019 election securing victory for third consecutive time from Badnera Assembly Constituency. Not on that, he also increased his vote share securing 48.46 percent of total votes polled against only 26.1 percent of votes in 2014 election.

 

Meanwhile, theShiv Sena, which has given a tough fight to Rana in two previous elections, also increased its polling percentage from 21.97 percent to 40.14 percent votes. Despite, all party leaders coming together to stop Rana’s hat-trick in previous election, the MLA continued to maintain his strong hold in the constituency. This time round, it may not be a smooth sailing for Rana. Not only that he faces strong fight from the leaders of all parties, some of his alliance partners too are not very keen to see him sail through.