With the deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency election falling on Friday, all eyes are now on former MLC Prof Anil Sole. It remains to be seen what decision he takes on his candidature as an Independent. The Bharatiya Janata Party has officially fielded former MLA Sudhakar Kohale, setting up a direct contest with sitting Congress MLC Adv Abhijeet Wanjari. However, Sole’s decision to enter the fray as an Independent after being denied the BJP ticket has added a new dimension to the contest. Sole, who represented the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency as a BJP MLC from 2014 to 2020, had been among the contenders for the party nomination this time. After the BJP settled on Kohale, Sole expressed his displeasure and eventually filed his nomination as an Independent on October 5.

 

The question now being discussed in political circles is: Will Sole withdraw his nomination on the last day, or remain in the contest? According to highly placed sources, State BJP President Ravindra Chavan personally visited Sole’s residence in an effort to persuade him to withdraw his candidature. The effort, however, did not yield any desired result. Sole’s stand has assumed significance because he is not an outsider to the constituency. Having represented the seat earlier, he has an established political identity among the electorate across the six districts comprising Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency. He has also maintained that he entered the contest to raise issues concerning graduates and development of the Nagpur Division.

 

The possibility of Sole remaining in the fray has generated considerable curiosity among voters and political observers. The concern being voiced in BJP circles is that an independent candidature by a former BJP MLC could affect distribution of votes among candidates. However, the actual electoral impact will depend on the final candidate list and voter response. The BJP has already activated an extensive district- and Assembly-level election machinery across Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur for the graduates’ constituency. The organisational mobilisation indicates the importance the party attaches to regaining the seat it lost to Congress in the 2020 election.